OTHER BENEFITS TO PERK UP YOUR POCKET

■ UNLIMITED ANNUAL LEAVE

Not to be confused with additional annual leave, unlimited leave is a concept made popular in the US whereby employees can, in theory, take as much leave as they want.

Reports globally suggest that in reality it is having the opposite effect in that workers are not taking enough leave.

Mary Connaughton, director of the HR body CIPD, says that unlimited leave is not common here yet, not least because working time legislation means that employers have to make sure all employees take a minimum of 20 days a year, “so it’s not so easy to manage in Ireland”.

■ TRAINING

Further training, usually under the banner of continuous professional development (CPD), is a pretty standard benefit. This can be provided in a range of ways, such as through professional memberships, mentor programmes, internal or external online courses, or support towards gaining a new, high-level qualification. As well as benefiting the company, it improves your prospects of promotion and better pay.

CHILDCARE SUPPORTS

HR expert Caroline McEnery says that even before Covid19, employees were already placing a “huge weight and value” on anything that would support them in terms of childcare costs, whether that’s some form of subsidised, on-site childcare facilities or more flexible working.

“It’s something we’re going to hear a lot more about,” she said.

■ CYCLE-TO-WORK SCHEME

Likely to become even more popular in the months and years to come, the Cycle to Work scheme allows companies to facilitate the purchase of a bicycle and/or accessories up to a maximum of €1,000 (soon to rise to €1,250 for a normal bike, and up to €1,500 for an e-bike). The scheme is tax efficient, meaning savings of up to

51pc on your purchase.

■ FREE FOOD/DRINK

Although it tends to be confined to larger organisations that have the space and resources to provide it, free food and drink on-site is still a popular, money-saving perk.

■ SHARE OPTIONS

Employers who are publicly listed can give employees the option to buy shares in the company and, depending on the structure of the scheme and whether or not it is Revenue-approved, it can be tax-efficient as well (although the rules are complex). “It’s a great retention tool, as well as a benefit for people because they’ll obviously feel more vested in the organisation,” said McEnery.