Trupanion: A Pet Insurance Firm Covering Childcare

Trupanion, a Seattle-based pet insurance company, provides a childcare benefit to its employees. It opened an on-site childcare center at its headquarters and covers the full cost of care for employees’ young children.

Trupanion’s Seattle-based employees, especially those in customer service and corporate roles, faced difficulties finding affordable, reliable childcare in the high-cost urban area. Employees faced waiting lists and high fees for infant care—an average cost could exceed $2,000 per month per child. As a result, some employees delayed returning to work after maternity/paternity leave or struggled with the financial strain. As Trupanion grew, with over 1,400 employees by 2022 and consistent revenue increases for 10 years, retaining talent in a competitive market was critical. High turnover in customer service roles, with only four customer service representatives having tenure of over two and a half years, highlighted retention challenges. Childcare support was a strategic benefit to attract and retain employees, particularly parents, as noted by their Chief People Officer.

Trupanion opened its childcare center in 2017 at its headquarters in Seattle. It is independently operated but fully funded by the company. The center serves children from one month to four years old. By serving this age range, Trupanion targeted the phase when childcare is both most expensive and when parents are most likely to drop out of the workforce.

~18-28 months