Designing Employee Benefits & Culture That Actually Work: A Startup Guide Using Maslow’s Hierarchy

Startup life is messy, fast, and constantly evolving. Amid the chaos, building a great culture and thoughtful benefits program can feel like a luxury—but it’s actually a necessity. In the remote/hybrid world where burnout is real and budgets are tight, startups need to get creative and intentional about supporting their people.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs isn’t just for psych textbooks. It’s a practical tool for designing a people strategy that supports your team without blowing your budget. It helps ensure employees feel safe, connected, and motivated—all without needing to roll out extravagant perks.

Let’s explore how early-stage startups can build a culture and benefits stack that actually works.

Foundational Level: Safety & Security

Mental Health: Mental health doesn’t start and stop with therapy benefits. While boosting coverage is great (let’s be honest, $500 only gets you a couple of sessions), the real game-changer is how leaders show up.

Recent research from the Workforce Institute at UKG shows managers have more impact on employee mental health than therapists. That’s huge. Encourage your leaders to check in for real—not just about tasks, but about how people are actually doing. Create space for honesty. Normalize mental health days. Share resources clearly. It’s not about having all the answers—it’s about showing you care.

Physical Health: Basic health benefits are just that: basic. If you’re not offering extended health care, you’re not in the game. Prescription and dental are key starting points, and adding long-term disability is a smart move that doesn’t have to break the bank.

Canada Life paid out $30.4 billion in health benefits in 2022, including $7.2 billion in long-term disability alone. If your team doesn’t have access to this kind of support, they might start looking elsewhere.

Financial Wellness: The cost of living is hitting everyone hard, especially younger employees trying to find stability. Financial stress doesn’t stay at home—it follows people to work. According to MetLife, financially secure employees are 84% happier and 78% more engaged.

Sure, raises help, but even small steps matter: RRSP matching (even modest), transparent compensation structures, or access to financial literacy resources. You don’t need a fancy app—you need to meet people where they are.

Love & Belonging: Connection in a Remote World

When people feel connected to their team, they’re more likely to stay, contribute, and collaborate. But not everyone wants happy hour trivia or virtual escape rooms.

Connection can be simple and budget-friendly:

• Use the first 15 minutes of 1:1s to talk life, not work

• Add a "what’s new with you?" section to team meetings

• Encourage monthly peer coffee chats (virtual works too)

  
  

The key? Make connection a habit, not a quarterly event.

A Holistic Framework for Culture & Benefits

Instead of scrambling to add perks every time someone leaves, take a step back. Maslow’s framework gives you a way to prioritize what matters. Focus on what your people need to feel safe, supported, and motivated.

At its core, your people strategy should:

• Reduce stress

• Provide stability

• Foster human connection

  
  

When those foundations are strong, your team can do their best work—and you don’t need to overextend your budget to make it happen.

Actionable Takeaways for Startup Leaders

• Run a quick benefits audit: Are your basics covered (mental, physical, financial)?

• Train managers to support mental health with empathy and awareness

• Build in micro-connections: no big budget required

• Ask your team directly what support would help them thrive

  
  

Conclusion Startups are known for asking a lot of their people. That hustle mindset can be exciting—but it can also be exhausting. Creating a culture that cares for your team doesn’t require big budgets or glossy perks. It takes thoughtfulness, consistency, and a bit of creativity.

At Root & Rise Consulting, we help early-stage startups build lean, people-first systems that scale. We’ll meet you where you are—budget and all.

Ready to build a culture that works?

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