Google employees enjoy meals cooked by an on-site chef and sleep pods in order to catch mid-day naps. Facebook employees receive a 30-day break after five years of working and a wellness reimbursement for healthy living. These are just some of the perks larger corporations offer to not only attract the best employees, but to retain them as well.
According to Access Perks, half of employees have left their jobs because the benefits were better elsewhere. More than 60% of employees would choose a lower salary for better benefits.
So, what does that mean for small to mid-sized business owner? It means that if businesses want to attract the best people, management needs to offer benefits that make employees happy – without breaking the bank. Here are some reasonable perks to offer employees if you operate a small business:
Benefits Package
Prescription drugs, eye exams, and dental services can add up. Business owners can provide health benefits tailored to their employees’ needs, including the basics as well as more specialty items, such as nutritionists and acupuncture services.
Work-Life Balance
While companies may not be able to offer unlimited vacation time (time off having been shown to increase productivity and employee dedication), business owners can contribute to their employees maintaining a healthy work-life balance by encouraging telecommuting or working from home, providing the opportunity to enjoy a condensed work week, or offering flex hours. Companies can also offer longer lunch breaks, reduced summer hours, half-day Fridays, and closing the office between Christmas and New Year’s.
Free Stuff
The easiest way to get on employees’ good side is offering free food – healthy snacks in the kitchen and an endless supply of coffee. Business owners can also share credit card perks or ask other businesses to offer discounts to their employees. Companies can host events like a summer barbecue to thank their staff for a job well done and a Christmas party to celebrate the holidays.
Health and Wellness
If business owners don’t have room to set up a full-sized gym in their offices, there is still hope. Companies can reimburse employees when they join a gym, bring a yoga teacher into the office for an hour of exercise, or encourage a friendly competition in order to meet fitness goals for a chance to win a prize. Business owners can also make their establishments dog friendly, encourage volunteering on work time, add air hockey and board games to the lunch room, and provide massage services in-house.
Professional Development
Most employees want to grow and learn. Business owners can offer reimbursement for courses and provide opportunities for employees to attend workshops and symposiums that not only improve their skills, but also their mental wellbeing.
It’s been said that happy employees are productive and loyal employees. If business owners want to keep their current staff and attract new employees, providing benefits that will positively impact their work-life balance and make their jobs fun is key.
Lisa Day | Contributing Writer
