Game rooms, complete with foosball tables and darts. Food carts delivering everything from pizzas to ice cream sandwiches. Casual dress codes that allow employees to be as comfortable as possible at work. These are just a few of the many perks that companies are offering their employees.
While most employers say they value and appreciate their hard-working and loyal employees, many are starting to go the extra step and reward them in fun and festive ways that go well beyond a few extra dollars added to the paycheck.
As Salary.com notes, many businesses offer their employees memorable perks that can make it a joy to come to work every day. For example, Google offers its employees free lunch and dinner every day, as well as oil changes and car washes for the employees’ vehicles and $12,000 in annual tuition reimbursement. At Yahoo, workers are encouraged to have fun in the company’s on-site gym complete with volleyball courts and a basketball court. And at SC Johnson & Son, an employee concierge is available to help workers with their non-work related chores, like picking up groceries, taking their vehicles in for service and purchasing tickets to concerts and shows.
For small business owners who want to offer their employees fun perks, consider the following ideas:
Feed them well
As Forbes notes, everyone loves free food. Small business owners can help keep their employees happy with tasty treat days. For example, make every Tuesday Donut Day or bring in trays of smoothies each Wednesday, or boxes of pizza every Friday. When the food arrives, allow your employees some time to gather together and enjoy it; this will give people to get a much-needed break to socialize over some yummy eats.
Reward them with gift baskets
Small business owners who want to show their appreciation for hard-working staff can do so with rewards like gift baskets. For example, start an Employee of the Week or Worker of the Month program, and give the employee a fun and festive gift basket filled with some of their favorite goodies like coffee, candy or flowers. To help make shopping easy, companies like FTD offer a nice selection of gift baskets that are sure to help any employee feel appreciated.
Let them work from home
Another popular and budget-friendly perk that small business owners can offer their employees is the option to work from home — at least some of the time. Many people love the idea of telecommuting and avoiding being stuck in traffic, spending less money on gas, and not having to dress up to go to work. Employees who do a lot of work from their computers are often ideal candidates to complete at least some of their hours from home.
Offer flexible hours
For those who have work that can be done at pretty much any time of the day, flexible hours can be a wonderful and highly desired perk. Depending on what works best for the company, schedules can even be determined by the employees on a weekly or monthly basis — just as long as they fulfill their required number of hours.
Learn more about Greg’s book, Fired Up! Leading Your Organization to Achieve Exceptional Results
