20 Unique Employee Benefits That Boost Employee Morale
The hiring world can be extremely competitive, especially in industries starved for top talent. Salary will always be high on the priority list for potential employees, but they also weigh other factors.
A recent study reveals that 95 percent of Americans consider job benefits and perks before deciding whether or not to take a new position or stay in their current one. Companies trying to attract the best employees may need to think a little outside the box when it comes to perks.
Here are 20 unique employee benefits that can seriously boost morale.
- On-Site Medical Staff: Google draws interest from candidates in all industries, and are known to offer many unique benefits. One of the most popular is on-site medical staff, including physicians and nurses to make seeing a doctor extremely convenient.
- On-Site Child Care Facilities: Childcare concerns can be a huge distraction for employees with young families. SAS takes this into consideration by providing on-site childcare to their employees at headquarters, and at area daycare centers for their other locations. This is a big relief for working parents.
- Free Food: Food is a major expense for many, so free food is a wonderful perk. Zappos offers their employees not only free breakfast, but also lunch and snacks.
- Paternity Leave: More and more companies are offering new dads paid leave, just like they’re legally required to do for new moms. Especially for millennial workers, who strive for more egalitarian gender roles than previous generations, a company that understands the importance of being an involved father will be much more attractive. All parents want to bond with a new family member!
- Continuing Education: Many companies implement some sort of payment reimbursement program for current employees. The most high-profile company offering this benefit is Starbucks, which offers all U.S. employees free tuition to earn a bachelor's degree through Arizona State University Online.
- Fitness Benefits: Employees’ total wellness should be important to all companies, because healthier employees mean fewer sick days and higher productivity. Many companies have on-site gyms, free gym memberships, or even on-site fitness classes.
- House Cleaning: That's right: no more stressing about the tasks awaiting you at home! Your house will be spotless with free twice-monthly housecleaning, paid for by Evernote. They want their employees – and their employees’ spouses – to be completely enthusiastic about sticking with the company.
- Spa Services: Having a rough day? Take a break to enjoy a nice massage, or get a manicure during your lunch break. BodyLogicMD believes in pampering their employees with spa services, which can reduce stress and boost employee productivity.
- Bring Your Dog To Work: Hate leaving your furry friend alone during the day? Some companies actually allow employees to bring their dogs to the workplace. Not sure how this one affects productivity, but it certainly makes the office more fun!
- Laundry Services: JibJab Media picks up a full bag of laundry from their employees every Monday, and returns it the next day, clean and folded. If you can just fit your entire weekly wardrobe in one bag, you can avoid laundry altogether!
- “Unlimited” Time Off: Netflix and Virgin simply don’t keep track of their employees’ vacation time, and leave it up to the employees and their managers to work out reasonable schedules. They figure that as long as they’ve hired great employees who care about delivering quality work, they don’t need to institute hard policies about how much time they can take off.
- No Official Work Hours: Netflix also doesn’t track employee work hours, so as long as you get your work done well, they don’t really care whether you’re in the office during the standard 9-to-5.
- Adoption Assistance: Adoption assistance has become a popular benefit offered by several companies who believe in helping their employees grow their families. Benefits might include financial assistance and additional time off.
- Legal Assistance: There are usually restrictions on what kind of assistance is available, but free legal counsel is a great benefit that decreases stress and missed work when a problem arises.
- Spouse Death Benefits: Google gives an employee's spouse half the salary of the deceased for 10 years. Now that's taking care of family.
- Free Public Transportation: Many employers located in cities know that parking expenses can add up quickly, and the morning commute can set a bad tone for the rest of the day. Free bus or subway passes get their employees to work with a minimum of stress and expense.
- New Baby Fund: Facebook gives employees $4,000 in cash when they have a child.
- Free or Discounted Products: Sure, if you work at a coffee shop, you might get a free scone on your day off. But many companies are going all out: Comcast employees receive free internet and cable services. And not just basic cable – we’re talking every channel.
- Free Drinks: All those Silicon Valley startups love to subsidize craft beer for the office. As long as there are expectations around when it’s okay to have a drink at work, this seems to be a pretty great way to boost morale, especially on those long Friday afternoons.
- Wellness Programs: Many companies implement some sort of wellness program, encouraging employees to live healthy lifestyles by providing perks. For example, if an employee records a certain number of workouts per week, they can receive an extra paid day off.
There are so many unique benefits and perks companies can offer to enhance morale and maybe snag that perfect candidate before someone else does. The possibilities are endless – though some are more expensive than others. There is always a way to fit a unique benefit into your plan.
Contact us to discuss the possibilities.