We have all heard about the fancy perks that some companies offer to their employees – pool tables, kombucha bars and massage chairs, just to name a few. In fact, these perks say a lot about your company culture and directly reflect the environment that the company wants to create for its employees.
While competitive pay packages may rank high on employees’ list of priorities, it may not necessarily be effective in driving the right employee behaviour. Providing employees with certain workplace perks can help boost employees’ morale and drive productivity levels. However, that does not mean splurging on expensive employee perks or replicating the same perks offered by other companies. Bear in mind that the perks that your company offer has to be aligned with the company’s culture and values.
Here are some examples of the various types of perks and what it might say about your company culture.
Recreation
Installing ping pong tables, darts board, foosball table, and other recreational equipment portrays your company as one that values playtime. Besides encouraging more “fun” within the company, it also promotes creativity and innovation by allowing your employees to get off work for a few minutes to relax and recharge. Concurrently, this also encourages your employees to spend more time in office, given that there are more recreational activities to do in office than at home. However, do bear in mind that while this may work for start-ups, it might backfire if your company culture is one that encourages employees to spend more time with their families than in office.
Celebrations and traditions
Celebrating employees’ achievements and milestones or even various cultural traditions say that your company values personal relationships and embraces diversity. Celebrations bring people together while traditions allow people to understand various cultures and races as well as learn to work with people of different backgrounds and accept diversity within the company.
Autonomy
Autonomy such as flexible work arrangements can be considered as a perk for employees. This includes allowing your employees to manage their own work, such as letting them to decide how to manage their time, when to take time off for personal development or to spend time with their family. This shows that your company trust its employees to make the right choices, both professionally and personally.
Rewards and recognition
Giving out rewards and praises shows that your company appreciates employees’ contributions. Beyond the annual service year milestone awards or end-of-year recognition, frequent recognition through small bonuses or celebratory meals for completion of a large project or closure of a sales deal can go a long way in motivating your employees in the long run.
Employee perks need not be expensive or “cool”. Instead, it should be tailored according to the company culture that you are hoping to drive as well as based on your employees’ needs. Introducing the right employee perks can help to motivate your employees and play a key role in your talent attraction and retention strategy in the long run.
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