These are the best of times, these are the worst of times.
iPhones come with “Siri,” their own personal assistant. Many people are speaking with “Siri” — in the unemployment line.
For those fortunate enough to have jobs, the distressing feelings of being overworked and under-appreciated are common complaints, as many pick up the slack in departments left short-staffed. The last thing any employer wants is to lose a valued employee. But, how can you keep them happy? What, you don’t have a million dollars lying around to feed your money-hungry employees? No problem. The second best thing to do is look to boosting employee morale with benefits!
Pick up the phone and call CPW immediately to hear about the bonafied benefit plans we can offer your company! Sorry, shameless plug. Anyway, a recent Forbes article illustrates all sorts of creative ways some employers are choosing to keep employees happy: The Most Outrageous Workplace Luxuries. Now some of these are just plain loony, why would anyone pay 13 grand for their employees to nap at work? As someone with a tight budget, I have an opportunistic view when it comes to employee perks. My philosophy is that if I am paying an employee to work, the benefits should also benefit the business I’m trying to run… (while still making me look like a generous boss, of course!)
Now keeping that in mind while looking further into the photos Forbes posted, you will see that a “Treadmill Desk” made the list. Once you stop rolling your eyes, ask yourself what is the purpose of this benefit? Ok, so this employer is trying to keep a sedentary employee more active. Now let’s answer my opportunistic benefit pre-screen question: how will this benefit your employee while also benefitting your company? Office employees live a very sedentary lifestyle while at work which can be detrimental to their health if they are not active outside of work. Inactive employees are sick more often, which means they will use company time to call in sick, go to doctor’s appointments, or worse yet, come to work anyway and get you sick! While you can’t stop employees from getting sick, you can be proactive in helping make them more active. Now a treadmill desk is a bit extreme, but offering to supply employees with something health-related like a gym membership, encouraging walking breaks, or organizing a company-sponsored run is a step in the right direction. Not only will employees feel like you care about their health, but YOU will benefit by having healthier, happier employees.
Looking further at some of Forbes’ other outrageous luxuries, you’ll see some don’t benefit both the employer and the employee quite so nicely. For instance, one employer gives employees “Scooters” to travel to and fro easier. This may make your employees think you are cutting-edge for a week, but at the end of the day it is not worth the money!
Moving forward, we find “Ergonomic Goodies,” which are becoming more mainstream as the repetition of our bodies being on computers all day is definitely a cause for concern. If you haven’t joined the wave of employers who have already made their companies ergonomic-friendly, I suggest you do so as it will alleviate strain from your employees and prevent severe long-term disabilities like arthritis. Again, this also will benefit your company as each employee not worrying about that kink in their wrist is going to be more efficient in the office. While this may seem like a boring benefit, employees will feel cared for as the employer is concerned with their comfort.
While the Forbes article may have highlighted some extreme benefits, it also illustrated that even on a budget, you can send the same message by providing a benefit that instills the goals of some of these lavish luxuries. It is crucial to the success of your company to incorporate benefits in the workplace that will not only make employees happier, but must also make a positive impact on YOUR business. My fellow employers, ask not what your benefits can do for your employees—ask what can your benefits do for your employees AND your company!