How to attract talented people with meaningful company perks
Instead of following the latest 'cool' trends, company perks should be unique to your culture. See how we created perks that fit our values.
Employers around the world try to attract talented people by offering amazing perks like office massages, Tesla leases and even paid weddings!
The Remote Company offers unique perks like Creative Days. Once a quarter, everyone gets a free day to leave their computers and explore the world.
They can choose to spend it however they want. Whether it's doing something that inspires them, including visiting a museum, or art gallery, attending a creative class, or volunteering. After the day, they share their experiences, thoughts, or photos from the day on our #creative_day Slack channel.
The Joy Budget is another unique perk. An employee can spend their Joy Budget however they want. Whether it's an unlimited Kindle subscription, piano lessons, or maybe learning a new language, the Joy Budget is here for it.
Which perk suits your company?
Perks should match your company's culture. Sure, any company can have a sleeping room in the office, but is it there just because, or is there a deeper connection to reinforcing your culture?
I totally get it if you work for a mattress company like Casper and preach the importance of naps, or if rest is in some way connected to one of your values.
But if you have a sleeping room just because it’s trendy and seems ‘cool’, it will eventually turn into a storage area.
You don’t have to copy and paste a new perk into your company benefits just because it is fashionable. Instead, think of the things that matter and truly represent you.
Workation
Company-paid workation is a perk that we offer. Once a year, the entire team travels to an exciting destination (Bali, Panama, Azores, Lithuania) to spend a week together.
This type of perk might not appeal to everyone, but it helps us attract the type of free-spirited people that embrace our unique values and enjoy participating in adventures with the team.
Open-minded people with a mindset for personal growth and creativity are the basis of our company culture. We want to grow together, challenge the status quo and discover new opportunities.
Creative Days
This is why our creative days represent us so well. People have a choice of how they want to spend their free day. They might visit art galleries with their partner, go to a natural science museum with their kids, or have a hike on their own.
We share our experiences on Slack and learn new things as a team. According to researchers, people’s happiness levels increase when we share a story about the moments that matter to us.
Here are some of the things that my team members have done on their creative day:
Joy Budget
Additionally, every year, everyone at The Remote Company is entitled to a Joy Budget. This is another perk that is very much aligned with our values.
What is something that sparks you? Here are examples of how our employees have spent their Joy Budget!
Takeaways:
Don’t copy trendy perks. Think about what matters to you and your company. What do you value the most? Think of ways to incorporate that into your perks. This way your perks will attract people with the right culture fit.
Give people choices. We’re all different. If you allow people to hit the gym in the middle of the day, think of what other people might want to do instead. Some prefer getting a massage, going for a walk or taking a nap. If possible, take it a step further and give flexible working hours for everyone.
Invest in people, not things. Perks are nice to have, but people stay in your company for other reasons such as company culture, creative freedom and an amazing team. When you invest in your current team and their happiness, you will attract new amazing people.
What company perks does your team love the most?
