Benefits Outweigh Salaries for Talent Acquisition, Retention

Q: What was behind the creation of Plerk? 

A: Plerk’s co-founders have backgrounds in digital banking and the platform Rappi. We led the expansion of Rappi across 45 cities in Latin America, which involved about 400 business trips over four years. Through this experience, we realized that there was a need to improve the lives of business travelers.

In November 2019, we launched the startup Isibit but the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on business travel. During that period, we reconnected with our real vision. We did not want to improve the lives of business travelers; we wanted to improve the lives of people. This is how Plerk was born and our first value is that people matter. We launched Plerk in January 2021 and it grew rapidly.

Q: How do additional benefits for employees compare to salary increases?

A: After the pandemic, work and benefits changed. Once work became remote and hybrid, people in Mexico started to work for US businesses and competition increased. Companies began to care more about their people and started to look for strategies to retain talent by strengthening their offer. In addition to their own genuine concerns, companies were also forced to take better care of their employees with the implementation of Mexico’s NOM-035.

A company’s most important asset is their people. Plerk helps companies to improve the lives of their employees through a platform that offers great flexibility and customization. We offer many benefits, from gyms to nutritionists, discounts and much more. Between 70-80 percent of people prefer better benefits and services over a salary increase. The value of benefits is much more noticeable over time than a salary increase.

Q: How does Plerk’s pricing work and what are the main benefits for clients?

A: With a monthly fee of US$5 per-associate, companies will see the happiness and well-being of their teams increase. A happy team is much more productive. If employers put themselves in the shoes of associates, they will understand them better, obtain better results, increase productivity and generate dedication to the company. 

Q: What partnerships has the company built and what are the benefits of building a strategic alliance with Plerk?

A: Plerk has built a powerful partnership with Gympass, which allows us to provide Gympass’ benefits at better rates while also offering a comprehensive range of services, including telemedicine, nutrition, psychology and dermatology. Our most recent partnership is with WeWork.

Large companies ally with Plerk due to the value we provide them as an acquisition channel and also because such an alliance demonstrates that they care about people’s well-being. Plerk strengthens its offer as the only all-in-one membership for associates that includes gym, healthcare, food and gasoline vouchers and an office spot.

Q: How did you leverage your experience at Rappi to successfully launch Plerk?

A: At Rappi, we learned the entrepreneurial mindset and how to solve problems. The only mistake is to stay still. It is better to cause a problem by moving too fast rather than just standing still. We also learned to think big, with an all-in-one approach.

We are also part of Rappi Magic, a community of over 100 companies run by people who were part of Rappi. While many of us are competitors, the community generates great collaborations and has a willingness to grow the ecosystem in the region. 

Q: Plerk recently closed a US$12 million investment round led by Softbank’s spinoff Upload. How will the company leverage these resources to continue growing the business in Mexico?

A: Being part of the Upload family is great. We have been working together for about six months. This investment will allow us to advance at the speed we want. The plan is to focus on Mexico first, even though we also have some operations in Colombia and Chile. Once we are fully consolidated here, we will expand throughout the rest of Spanish-speaking Latin America.

Plerk is a digital platform that allows organizations to control the additional benefits and compensation packages of employees, improving quality of life for the employee and increasing talent retention.