Talent Benefits
Our benefits are the total package.
Our mission is to make temporary and flexible jobs the best they can be—everyone deserves great employee benefits. That’s why most of our hourly talent are W-2 employees, not contractors (1099s). It’s why they have the same health insurance as our CEO. We’ve offered major medical coverage for decades. And we’ve continued to add benefits like universal paid sick leave and retirement plans with a match.
Not all benefits are equal. See how we stack up:
|
The Creative Group (Robert Half) |
Creative Circle | Populus Group | Upwork | Fiverr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worker classification | W-2 employee | W-2 employee | W-2 employee | W-2 employee | 1099 contractor (excludes Upwork Payroll) |
1099 contractor |
| Contributes to cost of benefits | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Health insurance provider | Cigna | The American Worker (plan administrator), Cigna (network) |
Benefits in a Card, United Healthcare |
Blue Cross Blue Shield | Multiple providers | Multiple providers |
| Employer- subsidized major medical insurance for part-time assignments* | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Employer- subsidized major medical insurance for short-term assignments** | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Employer provided paid sick leave in all 50 states and Canada | Accepted | Unknown | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| 401(k) employer matching | Accepted | Unknown | Accepted | Unknown | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Healthcare flexible spending account | Accepted | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Dependent care flexible spending account | Accepted | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Not accepted | Not accepted |
|
Based on publicly available information * Assignments less than 30 hours a week ** Assignments less than 12 months |
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With benefits like these, why work anywhere else?
Health
- Choice of three health plans*, equivalent to platinum or gold level on the ACA market
- Premiums subsidized by Aquent for each hour worked
- Eligibility even for short-term and part-time roles
- Vision included with health plan; robust, subsidized dental plan also available
* This link leads to the machine readable files that are made available in response to the Federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data.
Life
- Paid sick leave for all hourly talent in the U.S. and Canada
- Paid time off and/or holidays when you work on specific client engagements
- Aquent Leave, FMLA, USERRA, and state leaves (as applicable)
- Wellness and Employee Assistance Programs
- Promo Code: Aquent employee discounts and exclusive pricing
Finance
- Retirement plan with no minimum hours to contribute, employer matching, and immediate vesting
- A diverse mix of investment options to align with employees' values and interests including Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) funds and Bitcoin digital assets
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for qualified Healthcare, Dependent Care, Parking, and Transit expenses
- Voluntary supplemental insurance plans – accident, critical illness, and hospitalization
- Financial wellness program
- Identity protection plan
Career
- Aquent Gymnasium, our free learning platform that offers courses by industry trailblazers in web development, design, user experience, and content creation
- Career coaching from specialized recruiters who understand what hiring managers are looking for most
- Referral rewards where you can earn money for any referral that leads to a placement through Aquent
Here's what our talent think.
“I love my job, I have great health insurance, and my Aquent managers have been extraordinarily kind and helpful. This is hands down the best job I've ever had, and I'm excited to take on new contracts with them.”
EMILY W., WRITER
“My team has been supportive and helpful guiding me through my first assignment…Aquent offers great benefits and is dedicated to their contractors. I am so thankful for Aquent and all the services they are providing me to be successful in the marketplace. Top-notch company!”
SHANNON H., MARKETING PROJECT MANAGER
“I had a good experience with the people I worked with at Aquent, the contractor medical/dental benefits offered are high quality at a good price, and they have a continuous inventory of great jobs at top companies.”
KELLY G., SR. MARKETING MANAGER
“Aquent is hands down just the best agency I have ever worked with…And the healthcare and FSA benefits really seal the deal. Don't change those benefits, it makes me want to only go thru Aquent…”
JOHN L., UX DESIGNER
“I always feel completely supported by Aquent. I am paid a completely fair wage, I have excellent benefits, the support staff always go above and beyond to be helpful.”
LAURILEE E., DIGITAL ANALYST
“Aquent has been the best talent agency I've worked with these past three years. I am keenly aware of other companies – but the benefits and staff support are the best in the business.”
FREDERICK O., ART DIRECTOR