Do you enjoy receiving extra little perks at the office for doing something well? Think of the $10 gift card to Starbucks or free movie passes you got this past summer for exceeding your sales goals. These employee incentives probably made you feel happy, which, in turn, helped you to be more productive at the office. Here's a list of 10 job perks that make some fairly great incentives.
Basics
In a highly competitive and employee-driven labor market, companies want to recruit and retain top talent. To do so, some firms offer some great job perks as employee incentives. These incentives vary by company, but as a business professional, investigate some of these incentives to see if they work for your firm. Incentives can increase employee engagement, foster a sense of camaraderie across departments and cater to the needs of many individuals.
1. Food
One of the most visible employee incentives is food. Healthy snacks can boost energy in the midst of a long day, and that can impact productivity.
2. Flexibility
Achieving a work-life balance is important to many millennials, as this generation strives to get the most out of their professional and personal lives. Flexible schedules can lower turnover rates by as much as 10 percent.
3. Remote Work
Similar to flexibility, remote work is becoming one of those employee incentives that more and more workers want. More than one-third, or 36 percent, of employees would rather work at home versus getting a pay raise. Working from home saves money on gas, food and time lost due to commutes.
4. Child Care
Child care is another big issue for millennials trying to make ends meet while raising a family. Considering the average annual cost of child care is nearly $12,000, anything an employer can offer to workers helps in that regard.
5. Employee Outings
Nothing says "camaraderie" like employee outings. Softball games, golf tournaments, holiday parties and annual summer barbecues bring together everyone outside of the office for some relaxed fun.
6. Paid Time Off
Rather than the standard "vacation days," some companies offer paid time off as one of the top employee incentives. A few firms even pay you stipends to go on vacation because they realize you return to work feeling refreshed, happy and ready to give it your all.
7. Mental Health Care
Almost half of all Americans face some kind of mental health crisis at some point in their lives. Mental health care can take the burden off of employees as they seek help.
8. Entertainment
Entertainment in the workplace is one way to relax the mind and come up with some great problem-solving ideas. Think about placing ping pong tables or billiards in break rooms.
9. Gifts
Gift cards, massage certificates, event tickets and the like are little ways to show appreciation to an employee.
10. Health and Wellness Programs
Healthy employees are more productive. Health and wellness programs can reduce health care costs and reduce sick leave among employees who take advantage of this perk.
Employee incentives take many forms, and you can use them as perks to keep employees productive and engaged. These incentives are the norm at top companies and can help you woo top talent to your firm.
Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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