How 6 San Diego Companies Are Keeping Their Employees Happy

These local companies went way beyond the 401(k) and casual Fridays for their employee benefits

Illumina

Employees and eligible family members have access to its genetic testing services immediately when they’re hired, and at a steep discount: The TruGenome Predisposition Screen wellness test costs $1,500 instead of $9,500, and the TruGenome Undiagnosed Disease Test (which identifies the genetic cause of an undiagnosed disease) is free.

Zeeto

Employees of the downtown tech company never have to worry about packing (or even buying) breakfast and lunch, because the company provides two meals a day at its own restaurant, The Questionable Exchange, on Ninth Avenue and B Street.

Power Digital Marketing

This Old Town marketing firm gives its workers unlimited paid time off. “You simply give your manager a heads-up and pop it on the calendar,” says Amanda Windsor, a company spokesperson. But employees aren’t in permanent vacation mode—they each set aggressive goals at the beginning of the year, and if they accomplish them, they join the “President’s Club” and are rewarded with a trip to a destination like Costa Rica or Hawaii.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities

The real estate giant’s 87,000-square-foot campus has become a landmark in the Torrey Pines biotech scene. Scientists come here to have happy hour at Brian Malarkey’s Farmer & The Seahorse restaurant, attend a conference at the Illumina Theater, or work out in a sleek Exos gym. The campus also hosts events (like San Diego Magazine’s Big Ideas party!).

ViaSat

The Carlsbad satellite and communications company has some serious contracts—it updated the Wi-Fi connection on Air Force One and just got $13.7 million to build ground transceivers for the US Army—but it doesn’t take itself too seriously in the workplace. Its headquarters has a two-story slide that workers can use to travel between floors.

Red Door Interactive

The East Village ad and marketing agency participates in “Bring Your Parents to Work Day” every November. Parents join brainstorming sessions, visit clients, and even take over the company’s Snapchat feed for the day. “Parents want to know that their kids are in a place that genuinely cares about their well-being,” says CEO Reid Carr.