Kindred

I see TriNet as an extension of our team. By having a tool and a system that we can manage easily, and the support of their team behind the scenes to help, I can focus on supporting and developing our team and culture.”

Building community for travel

Founded in 2021, Kindred is a home-swapping platform driven by trust, reciprocity, and connection. Co-founders Justine Palefsky and Tasneem Amina met while working in technology and connected over a shared goal of building something of their own, with real meaning. They both grew up sharing their homes with a broader community and wanted to recreate that welcoming experience for travelers around the globe, while having a positive impact on the traditional cost-structure of travel.

After a successful home swapping pilot within their network, Kindred began to grow by word of mouth, through real people with real homes. Today, they proudly support a members-only community of more than 300,000 members across North America and Europe with the technology and infrastructure they rely on.

Kindred operates on a “give-to-get” model, where members share their own home to access others, allowing travelers to enjoy the amenities of a home, live like a local, and travel more sustainably. Their peer-to-peer community creates a third, more-affordable option for travel accommodations, compared to hotels and short-term rentals, while still offering comfortable, high-quality stays and 24/7 in-app support.

Scaling their community and business

Prior to working with TriNet, Kindred leveraged a software-only solution to navigate their HR needs. With continued growth in their member base, Kindred recognized the need for a more robust solution that could scale with their business. 

When Head of People Operations Veronica Wong joined Kindred as their first in-house hire for people management, TriNet was already an important part of how Kindred managed operations. As their network continues to grow, so does their team, and TriNet helps Veronica to continue to manage that footprint, while keeping the people team lean, so they can spend more time focused on the business mission rather than administrative tasks.

Supporting their team everywhere

Kindred particularly appreciates that, with the support and capabilities from TriNet, they don’t have to put limits on where people work. From hiring to existing colleagues making moves, Kindred is able to support employees across the country, thanks to the access to benefits and compliance support that TriNet offers. As a remote-first company that is built around travel, being able to embody their company values with full location flexibility, and benefits that meet colleagues where they are, is important. “Being able to offer flexibility is a huge plus for us when it comes to attracting and retaining the type of talent that we want,” emphasizes Veronica. 

The access to benefits that TriNet offers, paired with Kindred’s generous insurance funding, helps Veronica meet employees’ needs. “Being with a PEO like TriNet means we can offer much more robust benefits, and we’re really proud to be able to offer that to our team,” says Veronica. The benefits and their contribution structure also helps Kindred be competitive in their industry. And, with simplified benefits enrollment and access to support for employee questions, Veronica enjoys how easy the process is.

We don’t want our employees to stress about healthcare. With access to a wide variety of benefits through TriNet, we can offer our employees what they need, so we can help them feel really supported throughout their employee experience.”

Spending more time with people

"From a people perspective, working with TriNet allows me to focus on higher-impact tasks. I can spend more time working with our people, rather than spending time on more mundane tasks,” notes Veronica. TriNet is an instrumental part of completing everyday needs for the Kindred team, including hiring and onboarding, benefits administration, and payroll. 

For Veronica, TriNet’s platform and support help facilitate her people management, especially with the ease of streamlined and automated processes. She values the ability to manage payroll, expense reimbursements, and benefits administration with TriNet, all in one system. Plus, the pre-built reports in the platform make it easy for Veronica to access key data points and maintain an overview of Kindred’s employees.

Driving the future of community travel

Kindred continues to grow and develop their community, with a commitment to maintaining their model and member connection. Looking to the future, Veronica emphasizes that, “What working with TriNet allows us to do is hire and support employees in any state, while maintaining compliance and a lean people team.” As Kindred scales, TriNet continues to provide the people management technology and support that they depend on so they can continue to bring people from around the world together.