Subscribe

Sign In

Back to list

Company LogoCompany WebsiteLinkedin Logo

Ascend Learning

25 Mall Road 6th Floor, Burlington, MA 01803

Company CareersDiversity & Inclusion

Ascend Learning is a tech-enabled services company and national leader in developing and delivering data-driven online educational content, software, assessments, analytics and simulations serving institutions, students and employers across...Read More

Badge Image

America's Greatest Workplaces for Parents & Families

E-Interview

In conversations with Newsweek, Wendy Piva, Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations at Ascend Learning, answered the following questions:

1. Can you provide an overview of your company's workplace culture and values, and how they contribute to a positive work environment?

Ascend's culture is people-first, purpose-driven and mission-oriented, focusing on changing lives. Our culture of accountability to our customers and each other is at the heart of how we approach our work daily.We share an ownership mentality**,** believe in trust and transparency, recognize each other's achievements, and foster connections and a sense of community within our teams. Our values provide clarity to our work, help drive decisions, guide how we measure impact and keep us pointed in the right direction. We are inclusive, accountable, courageous, selfless, passionate and embrace change. Our values evolve with us as we grow and inspire a mindset of action, innovation, curiosity, and collaboration among our employees. This commitment to growth and innovation sets us apart and keeps us moving forward. Our team members are learners, problem solvers, innovators, and thought leaders driven by a growth mindset. They constantly learn, improve, and courageously step outside their comfort zones. Our teams are passionate about connecting, fostering collaboration, and deepening their relationships with each other—all of which are critical to our success. I'm thankful for each of our team members and their impact. They make our organization unique and our culture strong.

2. What kind of professional development and growth opportunities are available to employees? How does your company support career advancement?

At Ascend, we believe in the power of curiosity and continuous learning. We are committed to developing exceptional people, celebrating their differences, and supporting their needs through learning resources and work that champions growth and enriches our culture. This is why we invest in learning and tailored professional development for our employees and rising leaders and find ways to challenge our experienced managers—because we believe in the potential of our people and the importance of building high-performing teams. We achieve this through on-the-job career-accelerating experiences, stretch assignments, cross-business moves, internal promotions, networking and mentorship, live and virtual training workshops, and access to on-demand online learning platforms. We also offer proprietary training for our people, including Elevating Leadership Excellence and WeBelong, and we bring in outside keynote speakers for all-employee learning and development to help them build the ability to navigate change. This includes Growth Mindset training and upskilling for the future in areas like AI. Additionally, we invest in professional development programs that help strengthen our leadership pipeline, cultivate a strong peer network and reinforce our high-performance culture. These programs develop leaders who drive engagement and collaboration, encourage connection and thought partnership, build consistency across management practices and skills, foster an energetic team climate that focuses on business impact, and help leaders collaborate on strategy, best practices and resource allocation. Employees are empowered to pursue new opportunities within the company, so we hire our own talent. When people join the team at Ascend, they can take ownership of their career advancement, stretch their skills and drive personal and team growth, move among our brands and teams, create connections with colleagues across the enterprise, and develop an internal network of people interested in their growth and success.

3. How does your company ensure transparency and open communication between management and employees, fostering a sense of trust and belonging?

Ascend Learning hosts quarterly all-company Town Hall meetings in which members of our senior leadership team provide updates on key developments and news within the company, including financial results and business performance, progress on strategic imperatives, board meeting highlights, policies, good news and business wins and fireside chats with key leaders. All-company town halls are supplemented by all-hands meetings at the brand level, where more detailed information and updates relevant to the functional teams are shared. In our hybrid work model, conscious leaders deliberately and thoughtfully work to help dial up cohesion, engagement, and collaboration amongst our people who work in the office, at home and in remote locations. They align our teams around our shared purposes, team wins and the impact of our meaningful work. Acting as coaches, delegators, encouragers, influencers, and negotiators, conscious leaders are focused on building a culture of purpose, connection, and trust within the team to drive engagement, productivity, and high performance while igniting the unique talents of individuals and collectively driving harmony amongst the collective group.

4. How does your company handle feedback and suggestions from employees? Is there a system in place for employees to voice their concerns or ideas?

Employee feedback is one of the most important drivers that help build our culture as we look to the future of Ascend. As Ascend continues to grow, it's essential that we bring forward our employees' voices and listen to feedback so we can continue to evolve as an organization, prioritize what's most important, and develop action plans to implement real and meaningful changes. Our award-winning intranet, Basecamp, serves as a central hub for employees, providing information on topics such as benefits and technology, access to online communities and discussion threads where they can connect with other employees, and regularly updated content, including articles on employees, company wins, and awards, recognitions, successes and impact stories. To help empower our teams to have a voice so that we can capture insights and understand where to take meaningful action, we conduct regular employee engagement surveys supported by periodic pulse surveys to learn what's working and what needs more focus so our employees can help us realize our company's potential and continue to build a great place for all to work. To help encourage employee wellness and support collaboration, each of our four office locations also hosts a monthly community day on-site at the office where employees are invited to participate in charity give-back activities and enjoy amenities, including themed meals, entertainment, games, activities and prizes while connecting in person with their peers and colleagues, including teams with whom they may not regularly interact.

5. What policies and benefits do your company have specifically aimed at supporting parents and families?

Ascend offers employees (6) weeks of paid parental leave for births and adoptions. Employees who have a new baby or are adopting receive a "Bump Box," a gift box containing items to help care for the newborn and a congratulatory note. Employee dependents can also remain on medical, dental and vision coverage plans until age 26. We also offer travel reimbursement for employees or household memberswho cannot receive treatment or services needed in their home area and require travel to another city or state to receive services. Our employer-sponsored EAP, Resources for Living™, provides tools and resources for working parents and all household members at no cost. These include resources for childcare, parenting and adoption, summer programs for kids, school and financial aid research, and legal and financial services, such as budgeting, taxes, mortgages, college funding, retirement and financial planning. Employees also have access to Headspace, an app supporting mental wellness and mindfulness that includes on-demand content for parents, families and children, which they can extend to friends and family. And finally, our Perks at Work program provides access to online learning communities and other supportive content.

6. Do you offer parental leave or flexible work arrangements?

Our exempt and nonexempt employees benefit from being able to take time off to allow parents to make it to kids' school sporting events or recitals, appointments and after-school pick-ups, or important family events and vacations. From a generous PTO package for hourly nonexempt employees to a "take as needed" flexible PTO policy for salaried exempt employees, we trust our teams to prioritize work-life balance and to take time off to recharge or take care of their lives when needed. Ascend offers employees (6) weeks of paid parental leave for births and adoptions and hybrid work for employees. Our flexible hybrid model leverages the office space when it can provide value, fosters connection that drives well-being, and prioritizes an employee-centric culture because building strong relationships and community is essential to our culture and success. This human-centered work-life methodology keeps our values at the forefront and is inclusive of our employees' diverse needs and preferences—which provides great freedom for our employees and empowers them with responsibility, building trust and respect between leaders and employees and across peer groups, which our employees greatly appreciate.

7. What struggles do you see parents facing in the workplace? How does your company address these issues?

Parents work around school schedules, activities and children's needs. They want to know that they will be supported if something comes up with family or that there is flexibility to be present for their family activities. Our hybrid work schedule and generous, flexible PTO policy allow team members to spend time with family and/or attend to parental duties.

8. Can you share examples of how your family-friendly policies have benefited workers?

At Ascend, we deeply value the integration of work and family life, and it's heartening to see this reflected in our team members' experiences. Our employees, many of whom are parents, have shared how our family-friendly policies have positively impacted their lives. They've highlighted the supportive atmosphere that greets the unexpected appearances of children during work calls, illustrating our culture's warmth and understanding. Our generous PTO and parental leave policies ensure that our team members can pursue their career goals without missing out on family moments. We trust our employees to manage their responsibilities effectively, offering them the flexibility to be there for school pickups, tend to their children when they're sick and participate in family activities. This trust and flexibility have proven to be a 'game changer' for many, allowing them to flex their work hours around their family's needs without compromising productivity. The result is a workforce that is more focused, engaged, and deeply motivated by the ability to balance their professional and personal roles. We're proud to foster an environment where being a dedicated parent and a dedicated professional are valued equally.

9. Why is it important for a company to consider employees' family responsibilities in the workplace?

We provide a flexible work environment where employees can grow, be challenged in their roles, and have time for their families. Inclusion is one of our core values, which form the foundation of our human-centered culture. Our culture is firmly rooted in the belief that by embracing our differences and drawing on diverse perspectives, we are a stronger, more innovative and more successful organization where employees experience a sense of belonging. When our team members have the freedom to bring their authentic selves to work, it leads to our most creative thinking, strongest collaboration and a deeper sense of belonging and well-being. We believe in taking care of talent—because their well-being is essential to our success—and we empower our people because they're central to everything we do.

Back to top

sections

company

editions

contact

terms of use

sections

company

editions

contact

terms of use

© 2026 Newsweek Digital LLC