Now that we’ve totally reinvented work from home culture and the conversation surrounding employee benefits has shifted from ping pong tables in the office to focusing on employee wellness, we’ve found ourselves wondering time and time again: what perks do our employees ACTUALLY want? And moreover: what is the importance of employee perk programs?
We’re not talking about health insurance and paid time off (which should come as a no-brainer in terms of benefits for most full-time positions); we’re talking about perks that your team can enjoy in real-time that positively contribute to your company culture, boost morale, and provide a sense of community. It has been shown that happy employees are 20% more productive than unhappy employees and furthermore, an engaged employee is 45% more productive than a merely satisfied worker.
Okay, maybe it’s no secret that happy employees perform better. But somehow, many companies fall short when it comes to figuring out what can be done to spark that joy. If you’re struggling to find benefits that work for your team, fear not! The Office Heroes are here to give you the 411 on how to be known as a company with the best perks.
Food, Food, and More Food
Let’s be honest: the way to most of our hearts is through our stomachs. Food makes the world go round, and many people look forward to when they can sit down, take a break from their computer screen, and enjoy some quality grub. And since working from home has now become the norm, lunch is an especially precious time that can allow you to step back from all the pings and take a well-deserved breather.
The process leading up to that lunch, though, is a little less thrilling; you either have to make your own at home, order delivery, or venture out into the lunch rush and pray that your favorite spot on the corner won’t have a line down the block. All of these experiences can negatively impact your employee’s mood (which we definitely don’t want based on the aforementioned statistics), so why not remove the stress and provide food for your team?
This simple offering can do more for morale than you think. Generally, 56% of full-time employees are “very” happy with their current job; that number jumps to 67% among those who are provided with free food. And since only ⅓ of offices offer free food and drinks to their employees, doing so can make you stand out from the competition.
Services like Cater2.me can provide daily meals or snack boxes to your employees that can be customized to their individual needs. Whether your team is still fully remote, back in the office, or a little bit of both, they can curate a meal option for your crew that will keep everyone (regardless of location or food preference) happy. The best part? They won’t break the bank!
Branded Swag
Who doesn’t love a free t-shirt? Many of us are still chasing the excitement brought on by receiving free items on our college campus, and there’s no reason why we can’t bring that same level of magic to the workplace. Remember: internal marketing is just as important as your external marketing. These branded items offer tangible evidence that your employees are a part of your organization and can provide a greater sense of community among team members.
When it comes to swag, we need to make sure that we think about which items our employees will actually use; creating branded products that no one wants is a huge waste of company money (and time), and they ultimately will just be seen as a source of clutter in your employees’ homes. Instead of things like foam stress balls that will fall apart after one hard squeeze, opt for something more functional, like a custom-made kit from Swag.com or a personalized tech offering from Tile.
Home Office Upgrades
If your team is apart of the WFH crowd (and have been for a while), it is likely that your employees will appreciate a facelift for their at-home workspace. On-site companies tend to spend a portion of their budget looking for new ways to improve their office environment with the latest and greatest enhancements and decorations. But if you’re now operating in a remote space, why not reallocate those funds to create a monthly home office improvement allowance for your team members?
This perk can be as extensive as offering actual technology for your team to something as little as offering a standing desk. Standing desks have become the norm in traditional office settings, and for good reason; standing desks can help with back pain while also increasing productivity by up to 45%.
Poppin provides next-level office equipment that would be perfect for sprucing up your team’s work from home set up and they will even create a customized WFH program for your team with special discounts and a dedicated shopping site.
Fun Workday Activities
Virtual experiences, cocktail hours, and group mingling sessions are cost-effective, easy ways to spice up the regular workday schedule while re-engaging employees working from home. With 54% of remote workers feeling disconnected from their organization, it’s evident that something is needed to rally everyone together the way post-work happy hours did in years past.
Virtual experiences are great for celebrating milestones in the workplace but there doesn’t need to be a special occasion driving you to get the team together. The experience can be the milestone itself! These activities can range in complexity from doing a fun quiz session over Kahoot to booking a full-scale virtual event through Cater2.me. Either way, your team will likely leave the event feeling reinvigorating and at the very least, happy for some variation in their regular day-to-day.
Your Team, Your Perks
After examining these four offerings, it is undeniable that there are a variety of creative ways for you to improve your company’s culture no matter where you’re working. And even though we think that these are great options, it’s always important to do what you think is best for your team. If you have no idea where to begin, just ask them! Fostering an environment that supports open communication is another key component of good company culture, so open the door today and see what your employees feel will take their good workday to a GREAT workday!
