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Your employee perks should be valuable to your employees and, by extension, add value to your workplace. This doesn\u2019t mean that they have to cost a lot of money \u2013 but they do need to impact employees in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n
If your employees think of your perks as nice-to-haves but not essential, then these aren\u2019t things that add value. Your employees simply won\u2019t care enough, and your efforts will have been for nothing. And perks aren\u2019t about just slapping a few quick ideas together to appease people. The selection of unique workplace perks calls for thoughtful analysis.<\/p>\n
How do you know whether the perks that your company provides meet your employees\u2019 needs and make sense for your business? In a CareerBuilder survey<\/a> released in January 2019, job seekers claimed that benefits and convenience are considered more important than paid compensation. In this study, 75% said that beyond salary, perks are the most important factors they consider when applying to a job.<\/p>\n Those surveyed also indicated that they would choose the following employee perks to make their workplaces more satisfying:<\/p>\n So how do you figure out what your employees value so you can offer perks they actually want? We\u2019ll cover this in the next section, along with simple big-business perks you can offer employees without breaking your budget.<\/p>\n The best way to understand what your employees consider valuable workplace perks is to ask them directly. Try to figure out what issues they\u2019re facing in their personal or professional life. If you see a trend across many employees, then you can work to address it.<\/p>\n Depending on the size of your workforce, you could interview each person on your team personally, or you could distribute an anonymous online survey. Keep in mind the benefits associated with an anonymous survey:<\/p>\n Before putting together your survey, it\u2019s important to quickly recap the difference between benefits and workplace perks.<\/p>\n Both are a crucial part of your comprehensive human capital strategy, but they\u2019re not interchangeable terms. The main difference between benefits and workplace perks is that benefits are what many companies offer to employees as part of their compensation package. On the other hand, perks are company-wide extras that elevate your benefits and compensation package and set it apart.<\/p>\n Benefits packages have become so commonplace that employees expect them, such as:<\/p>\n Employee perks demonstrate that your business goes above and beyond to keep employees happy, and that you value them as people with obligations, goals and needs that exist beyond their jobs. These are benefits that are unique to your workplace and help convince others that working for your company is an unmatchable experience.<\/p>\n Some examples of sought-after perks (which vary in cost and complexity) include:<\/p>\n Offering employee perks gives your company a valuable edge. Plus, perks not only help you attract new candidates <\/a> but also also help you retain current ones. Sometimes those little \u201cextras\u201d that add to employees\u2019 work-life balance can trump higher salary bids by competitors.<\/p>\n But when you own a small business, you don\u2019t always have the budget to spend on the non-essentials. Don\u2019t sweat it! You don\u2019t have to have a high-octane income statement to offer office perks t<\/u>hat will win them over and keep them content for the long haul. Here are some strategies to fit every company’s perks budget.<\/p>\n Sporting events, holidays and national events can unify your workforce when you acknowledge them collectively. For example, before the any big national championship games, let your employees come to work wearing their favorite team jersey. Occasionally let them dress to show patriotism or support for a certain cause.<\/p>\n These personal expressions help your employees get socially involved at the workplace, giving them common ground on which they may build more productive working relationships<\/a>. Special days at the office add meaning to the workplace because employees want to be a part of something fun, and they want to be a part of something sincere. It\u2019s not always about getting extra time off.<\/p>\n Say goodbye to the \u201cme\u201d culture and hello to the \u201cwe\u201d culture. In an age when corporate and social responsibility are a top priority, giving your employees time to volunteer<\/a> has become almost equivalent to giving them time off. Employees today want to belong to something bigger than your company. Particularly for millennials, your company\u2019s charity and volunteer initiatives can influence a job seeker\u2019s decision to accept your offer. Employees are balancing work and life in new ways. On-the-job volunteering is an extension of that.<\/p>\n Today’s employees, more than ever, want to see the organizations they work for supporting causes they believe in. Establishing an employee matching gift program<\/a> is an easy win in this area. Employees will feel supported in making positive impacts for causes they care about; you will likely play a bigger part in supporting your local community as a result; and employee engagement will rise.<\/p>\n Encourage a fun competition among your employees that provides incentives for making healthy lifestyle choices. Consider offering discounts on the initial purchase of fitness monitors to those who wish to participate, as well as fun, inexpensive (or cost-free) prizes for winning or meeting goals. You can splurge on cash gift cards and extra PTO days for winners, or keep it simple with a non-Friday casual dress day.<\/p>\n Organize intramural sports teams for after work or encourage an informal lunchtime walk that any employee can choose to participate in, on any given day. Partnering with a local gym to offer employees company-exclusive gym membership discounts or fitness stipends is another relatively inexpensive option.<\/p>\n What about adding some collaborative games to your employee break rooms? Jigsaw puzzle, search puzzle and crossword puzzle challenges between departments can encourage teamwork and friendly competition. You might even ask employees for recycled board games to be donated or brought in for a monthly gaming lunch or happy hour.<\/p>\n You can tie corporate recreation to charitable efforts<\/a> by offering inexpensive arts and crafts supplies for employees to create cards or holiday ornaments for hospital patients.<\/p>\n And if you have the room and budget, adding one or a few recreation tables like pool or ping-pong is an easy-to-implement option.<\/p>\n Partner with a local hospital or clinic to offer free on-site health screenings and flu shots. The initial cost of benefits like these can actually help stave off future productivity losses and higher treatment costs incurred by ill employees out on sick leave.<\/p>\n Additionally, have you thought of offering an employee assistance program<\/a>? Some companies enlist a service providing a network of mental health providers, dependent care specialists or additional wellness support hotlines for employee use. Having access to this kind of instant support is a major plus for busy parents and families.<\/p>\n Other inexpensive ideas include sending out regular email reminders offering healthy recipes, office ergonomic awareness or quick stretching routines that easily fit into a busy workday.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to have Wolfgang Puck on retainer to please your employees. Pay a nominal yearly fee and stock up on bulk snack foods<\/a> from big-box stores and club providers. Buying in bulk offers you a discount. And filling containers in your office break rooms with free granola bars, nuts, pretzels or other healthy options is an inexpensive way to put a smile on your team\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n Offer monthly \u201ctheme\u201d lunch days around special events like baseball opening day or the start of summer. You can serve a catered meal, or appropriate snacks, and ask employees to dress in accordance with the theme.<\/p>\n Around the holidays, present opportunities for office potlucks where everyone brings in a favorite family dish to share. Other fresh ideas include organizing a department cook-off challenge. Or, make arrangements for a local food truck to park outside your building and offer free or discounted menu items occasionally.<\/p>\n With remote work<\/a> now more commonplace as a result of the pandemic, most employees expect and appreciate greater flexibility in the workplace. If a fully remote workforce isn’t feasible for your business, consider offering hybrid schedules where it makes sense (or at least for certain roles that don’t require a physical presence in a specific location).<\/p>\n This allows employees a certain number of weekly work hours that can be spent at home, which can make it easier for them to juggle other responsibilities, such as caring for young children or aging parents. It may be a benefit to your business as well.<\/p>\n If your business doesn\u2019t support a more flexible telecommuting option, and you can\u2019t afford to offer additional PTO<\/a> days<\/a>, consider occasional half-day Fridays or extended lunch hours. This gives your people a little extra time to relieve stress by socializing or to run personal errands during the workday.<\/p>\n Finally, celebrate the time off that you do offer. Encourage the sharing of photos throughout the office on central bulletin boards or set aside a few minutes at the beginning of Monday meetings to discuss leisure or family activities. Getting to relive the fun with your colleagues can foster tighter bonds and make the good feelings last longer.<\/p>\n Establishing a culture that supports continuous learning<\/a> can help foster a mindset of growth and professional development among your workforce. You can do this a few ways:<\/p>\n In a competitive job market, one way to attract a younger workforce is to help tackle their (often) biggest debts with a student loan repayment benefit.<\/a> This can be done on a smaller scale — you could start by offering $50-$100 a month.<\/p>\n Another way to support new-graduate hires or staff working toward more advanced degrees and certifications is through tuition reimbursement. This educational benefit allows employees to be reimbursed up to $5,250 a year in tax-free tuition costs.<\/p>\n Finding ways to relieve the financial burden by helping with these reoccurring, long-term payments may also help with the overall stress of your employees. And as a result, productivity<\/a> could go up.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s during pregnancy, adoption, infancy, toddler years or beyond, there are helpful and unique ways to support parents and primary caregivers<\/a>. Time off and flexible scheduling is one of the top perks that employees needing this type of support want to see.<\/p>\n Make sure communication is clear as to the PTO time allowed under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)<\/a> or equivalent laws at the state level.<\/p>\n New parent support can also be implemented in how your employee is transitioned back to work<\/a>. Consider these low-cost options:<\/p>\n Flexible work schedules<\/a> reap benefits for both the employee and employer. For example, productivity increases. Not only are employees given more control over how they put their time in, but they\u2019re also provided an environment of autonomy. That autonomy can lead to higher productivity. Some other benefits include:<\/p>\n By having healthier and happier employees, the quantity and quality of work performance is better than with unhappy employees. When they feel involved in having autonomy with their work schedule, employees feel more valued.<\/p>\n When given the latitude to attend to common life matters and return to work afterward, employees know they don\u2019t have to compromise their professional life for their personal life. Rather than take time off or call in for work, employees could move hours around to manage events or other appointments. Also, this workplace perk doesn\u2019t cost the employer a dime.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to have a fat wallet or offer more employee perks than your competitors to win over top talent. Talk to your current employees and implement benefits that support their most important concerns, as well as your company\u2019s culture<\/a>. When you do so, you will attract the right people and keep office morale high. Interested in additional ways to improve your retention strategy<\/a>?<\/p>\n Download our guide, How to develop a top-notch workforce that will accelerate your business<\/a>, to learn successful ways to increase productivity and align your people for sustained growth.<\/p>\n\n
Survey your workforce<\/h2>\n
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How to run Your employee perks survey<\/h3>\n
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Understanding employee benefits vs. workplace perks<\/h2>\n
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12 employee perks employees will love<\/h2>\n
1. Acknowledging national events<\/h3>\n
2. Volunteer hours<\/h3>\n
3. Matching charitable contributions<\/h3>\n
4. Friendly competitions that encourage healthy choices<\/h3>\n
5. Fun or charitable activities as team-builders<\/h3>\n
6. Health and wellness programs<\/h3>\n
7. Delicious, healthy snacks<\/h3>\n
8. Prioritizing work-life balance<\/h3>\n
9. Learning and professional-development opportunities<\/h3>\n
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10. Help with student loan repayment or tuition reimbursement<\/h3>\n
11. New parent support<\/h3>\n
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12. Flexible scheduling<\/h3>\n
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Key takeaway<\/h2>\n