A Scottish company called Brewdog made headlines earlier this year for announcing a rather unusual new employee perk, ‘pawternity leave’. They introduced one week’s paid leave for all workers who adopt a puppy or rescue dog. How lovely you may think, time off to look after a new puppy and settle them in. However, as staff only heard about this after it was announced in a press release many view this radical new policy as a PR stunt!
As the search for talent intensifies and employees’ expectations shift, companies around the world have adopted weird and wonderful tactics to attract and, importantly, retain the right people. Other weird and wonderful benefits currently being offered include:
- No set office hours – Netflix (in the USA) measures what their staff get done rather than their work hours or holiday taken.
- Onsite facilities – Google famously has an in-office slide, bowling alley, volleyball pit and free haircuts and laundry facilities
- At CompanionCare (based in Wiltshire) staff can bring their pets to work
- Exercise – Patagonia (based in California, they sell outdoor clothing and equipment) encourage fitness among their staff by providing company bikes, volleyball courts and promote lunch-time surfing!
Understandably, multinationals have much deeper pockets for unusual staff benefits. So what could a small business consider to reward their hard-working staff?
- Flexibility is increasingly sought after, if not expected as workers place more value on work/life balance – consider flexi-time or part-time hours
- Pensions – all companies should be providing workplace pensions to their staff. If you need help with your auto-enrolment, Business Garage Technicians are ready for action!
- Training and development to enhance skills
- One of our clients offers weekly yoga in the office for staff relaxation
- Another client has a top of the range coffee machine and plenty of fruit
- Business Garage runs Fuel Injection Fridays where we take a few minutes each Friday for team-building activities and to catch up on a busy and productive week looking after our clients
It is worth thinking about a comprehensive package that is adapted to your particular business and how your staff are best motivated. Business Garage work seamlessly with many small businesses supporting with HR, Financial Management, Business Strategy and Administration, so call our experts today on 01235 433099 if you would like a free consultation.
Business Garage would be interested to hear which benefits you think are most important, which you would like to see, and which are just not necessary! Email [email protected] to let us know your thoughts.
Resources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39579540
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5134-cool-job-benefits.html
https://www.towergateinsurance.co.uk/liability-insurance/staff-incentives
