10 companies with perks you wish you got . . .
WHILE PAYING for top talent is important, the savviest companies today have figured out that offering awesome perks can help them get and keep, the very best employees.
Here are 10 major United States companies that understand the value of rewarding their staff and do it in some of the coolest ways possible.
1 Google has free food, a bowling alley and a barber shop
There’s a reason Google has been ranked No 1 on Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For each of the past three years. The company has incredible offices throughout the world that offer, among other benefits, free food at gourmet, onsite cafes. Google’s Mountain View, California headquarters has a gym, a bowling alley, a game room, and basketball courts. There’s also a barber shop, a massage parlour, and a laundromat.
2 Cisco systems offers physical therapy and acupuncture
Cisco’s LifeConnections Health Centre is more than a fitness centre; it also offers primary care, physical therapy, acupuncture and a pharmacy.
The company believes in supporting a healthy work-life balance, and provides employees with telecommuting technologies such as data and voice services to create a home office experience.
3 SC Johnson offers private concierge services
Cleaning products company SC Johnson gives employees help with their chores via access to a concierge service that does everything from returning overdue library books to making sure the drycleaning gets collected on time. The company also offers childcare, paternity and maternity leave and paid sabbaticals. 4 Southwest Airlines employees get free flights Employees also receive discounts with a handful of other airlines, as well as some hotels, theme parks, and rental car companies. When they’re not travelling, workers can participate in events such as an annual chilli cook-off contest and a Halloween party when Southwest turns its Dallas offices into the ‘‘Haunted Headquarters’’. 5 Yahoo offers discounts to ski resorts and amusement parks The Yahoo offices have on-site fitness centres with yoga, cardiokick boxing, pilates and golf classes. The offices are also equipped with ergonomic support chairs and healthy snacks and drinks on every floor.
Outside the office, Yahoo offers discounts to ski resorts and California theme parks and hosts an annual Oktoberfest party. The company will even throw you a baby shower. 6 Boeing gives 12 paid holidays and a winter break New employees won’t feel alone at Boeing, which connects new hires through its REACH programme, which sets employees up with community service and social activities.
Best of all, the aerospace and defence company gives its workers 12 paid holidays, and a winter recess between Christmas and New Year’s Day. 7 Mattel offers paid time off to attend school excursions Mattel offers a programme that defrays the cost of adopting a child, and offers 16 hours of paid time off for parent-teacher conferences or school excursions. And the children will love that their parents get discounts on toys. In addition, the toy company has its own non-profit organisation – The Mattel Children’s Foundation – that offers volunteer opportunities to Mattel employees. 8 Microsoft has generous paid maternity and paternity leave The Microsoft Corporation gives new parents leave, but what sets Microsoft apart from many other companies is that the leave is paid, rather than unpaid.
Microsoft also provides mentoring programmes and health care coverage for Applied Behavioural Analysis therapy, which treats autism. Microsoft is the first major US corporation to offer this benefit. 9 The World Wildlife Fund lets workers take every other Friday off The World Wildlife Fund is home to what it calls Panda Fridays, the Washington Post reports, through which employees work a little extra during the week to take every alternate Friday off.
In addition to giving workers a breather, shutting down the nonprofit’s Washington DC office saves energy and reduces its carbon footprint. The office is extremely well designed, and of course, environmentally friendly. 10 3M helps employees lose weight, stop smoking and manage stress
3M may be known for Scotch Tape and office products, but as an employer it is known for fair benefits. It offers life insurance and retirement plans on top of the standard medical, dental and vision health, including to samesex couples in domestic partnerships. The company offers child and elder care consulting services, a smoking cessation programme, weight management reimbursement, and stress management coaching.