Respect isn’t conditional: Why employee benefits should reflect the reality of modern families

At Omnisend, our values aren’t something we frame and forget — they shape how we work, how we treat each other, and how we make decisions. Especially when those decisions aren’t spelled out in the law.

That’s why family-related benefits — like paid child-raising leave or time off for birth or adoption — are available to everyone here, no matter what their family looks like. Whether you’re married or not. Whether your partner is the same or a different gender. Whether your relationship fits a legal checkbox or not.

Because when we say we respect our people, we mean it — and respect isn’t conditional.

Building a culture that reflects real life

In many countries, including Lithuania, family-related benefits are still based on narrow legal definitions: you have to be a legal parent, you have to be married, your partnership has to look a certain way on paper. That leaves out a lot of people — same-sex partners, unmarried couples, or people raising a partner’s child.

But that’s not how we think about families. And it’s not how we think about benefits.

“We want all children to receive as much care and attention as possible from their closest family members,” says Rytis Laurinavičius, co-founder and CEO of Omnisend. “And we want our employees to know that their private lives are respected — without exception.”

The decision to extend benefits to all families wasn’t a sudden shift. It’s part of a broader principle that’s been in place from the beginning — if someone joins Omnisend, they shouldn’t have to question whether they’ll be treated with dignity.

“From day one, we’ve clearly and consistently communicated that we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” Rytis adds. “Openness is in our DNA. This policy is just one more step in that direction.”

Trust before paperwork

When companies expand benefits beyond what the law requires, things can get complicated fast. Especially when legal definitions don’t reflect real life.

Technically, we could’ve asked for documents — proof of shared residence, custody papers, or something to “verify” a relationship. But we didn’t. Because that’s not how we operate. We trust our people.

“Our team consists of mature, responsible people who don’t abuse other benefits, like our unlimited learning budget,” Rytis says. “We have no reason to believe this will be any different.”

At Omnisend, if someone needs time off to care for their child — whether they’re married, partnered, same-sex, or none of the above — they just let HR know. That’s it. No extra documents and no scrutiny.

Because the whole point of these benefits is to support people. Not to make them prove they deserve it.

Progress that’s quiet, consistent, and real

A lot of companies talk about inclusion in terms of big gestures — campaigns, awareness days, branded hashtags. But for us, the real work is quieter than that. It shows up in decisions, in how policies are written, in what questions we ask when no one’s watching.

Things like:

• Does this actually reflect how people live?
• Will this make someone feel like they have to explain themselves?
• Are we making this harder than it needs to be?

These aren’t one-off conversations. They come up when we review internal docs, when we talk about fairness, or when someone flags a blind spot. That’s where inclusion lives — not in presentations, but in small, consistent choices.

We’ve made space for different voices. We’ve flown flags. We’ve hosted talks. But more than anything, we’ve tried to create an environment where people don’t need to perform who they are. Where support doesn’t come with conditions.

And when that’s the norm, progress stops needing a headline. It just becomes how things are.