- Rewards and benefits that employers offer their employees are no longer limited to the office space.
- Employees bring work home with them, cutting into the time previously dedicated to recreational activities and doing household chores.
So how does this change employee reward and engagement tactics?
Employees expect more intimacy; they want clear, personal advantages to working for one company. Company perks like rock climbing and free haircuts are popular, but remember that there’s a difference between offering employees meaningful lifestyle conveniences and pampering to spoil them.
Employees should know the company is committed to the health and happiness of its employees without feeling entitled to special treatment. The goal is to empower employees to lead easier, healthier, and more balanced lives inside and outside the workplace.
Despite all the Googles and Facebooks setting the bar high for employee perks, it’s important to step back and focus on the benefits that will most engage your employees and improve your company’s bottom line. And they might not be ones you expect!
Below are three — perhaps surprising — lifestyle conveniences that can have a large impact on boosting morale and getting your employees on track to becoming your strongest employer brand champions.
Laundry and House Cleaning Services
The simplest tasks can cause the most stress.
So help take care of employees’ household chores. Offer employees free or discounted laundry and house cleaning services in their city. Then instead of vacuuming and sorting dirty clothes on weekends, employees can spend time fishing with family; taking a ceramics class; hitting the gym; or watching a friend’s soccer game.
The less your employees stress about having to run home after work, the more productive they will be at the office. We live in a culture where even sleep is considered a secondary priority; help employees manage their time effectively by relieving them of the mental stress of scheduling time for housework.
Catered Breakfast and Dinner
Provide the first and last meals of the day to your employees.
There are a couple reasons for this. One, enticing employees to come to work earlier — not by setting up a policy — but by empowering them with the option of a free meal, is a great way to boost your team’s productivity.
Two, though catered lunch is a popular company perk today, it neglects the fact that taking a break during the day and leaving the office is essential to employee productivity.
Team meals are a great way to encourage internal networking and an organic exchange of ideas. It’s also a good way to encourage healthy eating habits. Depending on the cost of the catering service, the food often easily pays for itself once employees start spending longer hours at the office. Plus, it’s rarer for companies to offer free breakfast and dinner; use this as a way to set your company apart as an attractive employer brand.
Sponsored Recharge Time
Help make recreational tickets easy and affordable for employees.
Maybe one employee’s dream has been to see Paul McCartney in concert. Perhaps another has been meaning to take their family on a day trip to Disneyland or a Forty-Niners game. The seemingly small gesture of offering employees discounted entertainment tickets is a powerful ways to say, “Go recharge with your loved ones.” And that’s why it made the list as the third great lifestyle convenience to offer employees.
Because it’s not just about the amount saved on tickets. It’s an act of appreciation for employees’ hard work, and a desire to give back. Indirectly encouraging employees to shut off their phones and get lost in their favorite Broadway show prevents burnout. Employees will return the favor with rekindled passion and dedication to the success of the company.
