Most of us spend the majority of our day, besides when we’re sleeping, at work. Those days in the office can be made so much better by a great location or a fun work wife, but more and more employees are looking for more than a good salary to get them out the door each morning. The rise of the ‘work perk’ has seen a movement towards healthier and happier working environments, and we for one are all about it!
Companies are realising that to attract and retain talent it’s more important than ever to offer employees more than just a salary. In fact, many workers are more attracted to roles with slightly lower salaries that offer them other benefits, whether that’s flexible working hours, an in-house restaurant that serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner, or fitness studios you can access through the working day.
In today’s world it’s all about achieving that healthy work/life balance and one of the key ways to do this is to make sure your company is offering you more than just a job. The work perk makes you feel more valued and supported by your company and most of the time, you’ll work harder for them. It’s truly a win-win situation for everyone!
Keen to get into companies offering the best perks? Try your luck with this bunch…
You really couldn’t start this list without the tech juggernauts at Google. Silicon Valley start up companies are known for giving their technologically-gifted employees some pretty awesome perks and an enviable working environment (how else are you gonna attract that top talent right?) but Google offers some of the best. At Google in California, you’ll enjoy free gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a gym to work off all that food with free workout classes that run through the day. You’ll also have a chance to flex those culinary skills with free cooking classes offered by the company.
Spotify
As well as offering a ton of music-based benefits (free concerts all day, everyday amiright?), Spotify are making an amazing statement for working women by offering to cover egg freezing and fertility assistance for its employees. If you’re busy travelling the world you may not be enticed by this perk just yet but it’s a pretty awesome step towards equality and an amazing thing to do for women (and men) who have been focused on scoring themselves an amazing career and now want to become parents.
Anyone who’s been an intern knows just how hard it is to maintain your internship while working a part-time job on the side just to make a living, often also balancing school or uni on top of that too. Facebook has made sure their interns feel supported and don’t burn out by offering free housing and healthcare for their interns in the US, plus they earn a pretty decent salary too.
Microsoft
It’s not just fitness companies that care about their employees staying healthy, Microsoft has got your back when it comes to expensive gym classes. They want you to enjoy all the energy and happiness boosting exercise endorphins possible with a $800 ‘Stay Fit’ reimbursement so you can take all the pilates, crossfit or spin classes you like.
Airbnb
If you’re working at AirBnB you’re probably looking at amazing travel locations and accommodation all day, every day. It only makes sense then to offer employees an annual stipend to spend on their own holidays (staying in Airbnb properties of course). Each employee gets $2000 of AirBnB credit a year – that’s a lot of weekends away or a pretty hefty chunk of accommodation for an overseas vaycay.
Starbucks
Turns out being a barista is pretty awesome when you work for Starbucks. As well as access to all the coffee (triple caramel mocha frappachino anyone?) the company also offers employees a chance to study for free with an online bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. Although this perk is only in the US currently, it’s a pretty awesome way to pay for your degree.