Since starting at Beyond, Sarah Lavorgna has worked to create a supportive, flexible, and compassionate work environment for employees. As the Director of People Operations, Sarah manages Beyond's human resources endeavors, actively cultivating an inclusive and thriving work environment while prioritizing the well-being of employees, including robust support for mental health initiatives.
In our latest Going Beyond blog post, our series that aims to show what it’s really like to work at Beyond, we spoke to Sarah to learn more about her experience on the People Team, and how she works to ensure that mental health is prioritized for Beyonders.
What is your title? How long have you been at Beyond? What drew you here?
- Title: Director, People Operations
- Tenure: 8 months
- Why Beyond: I’ve always been drawn to the excitement as well as the nature of the work that accompanies a growing company so my initial interest in Beyond was the desire to join a growing org, which was reconfirmed during the interview process. When meeting with some of Beyond’s leaders, the continued growth and success of the company started to make sense. Everyone I met had a balance of intellect and empathy, which from past experiences are the ingredients for teams that work best with one another, succeed together, and a team that I wanted to be a part of.
Why do you think it’s important that organizations offer support and mental health resources?
Not to sound like a People Ops person BUT from a business perspective, having engaged and motivated team members directly results in better company productivity, profitability, and retention – and ultimately the organization and team’s success. Putting an emphasis on mental health helps team members flourish and be their best selves at the “office” and outside of it.
From a more personal perspective, I’ve been at companies that don’t offer any mental health support and they are not fun places to be. Everyone is tired, stressed, and just generally unhappy. Creating safe and supportive environments is the right thing to do and what leaders should strive for when running their organizations.
How does Beyond support our employees’ mental health?
Beyond supports the team’s mental health in a variety of ways, from hard benefits such as our unlimited PTO and parental leave policy to softer perks such as a flexible work environment and harvesting an inclusive, diverse, and open company culture. All of which contribute to an empathic and supportive environment, both within and outside of work hours.
What benefit do you take advantage of the most?
The flexible work environment. I haven’t lived anywhere close to my family in 15+ years, which has always been difficult. But being able to work remotely has facilitated more trips back “home” to spend time with family and friends, which is extremely important to me (and to them!)
How is Beyond different from other organizations you’ve worked with?
While working at growing companies has its advantages, it has its disadvantages as well. Oftentimes growing start-ups are under-resourced, require consistently long days (including weekends), and can be a pressure cooker of stress. I’ve seen (and also experienced) the effects these environments have on both physical and mental health and it’s not pretty. But Beyond strives to move away from that rise and grind company culture. It’s proof that you can build a successful company while having fun and without burning out the whole team to make it happen.
Our Going Beyond series aims to pull back the curtain and show what it’s really like to work at Beyond. Our five core values provide structure for our company decisions, interactions, and work: We Care, We Go Beyond, We Are On The Same Team, We Inspire Trust and We Ship It. If these values resonate with you, then you belong at Beyond too. Check out our careers page for more information and to see open positions: https://www.beyondpricing.com/about/careers
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