Forget Benefits: Employee Perks Are the New Recruiting Tool

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• November 13, 2014
• By Susan Shain
• 2 Comments

Free rock climbing lessons. Or acupuncture treatments. Or oil changes.

Could these small perks be the reason why another company is getting all the quality recruits, or retaining the best employees? If you’re struggling with either of these HR tasks, it might be time to think outside-the-box.

And when we say outside-the-box, we mean outside the typical benefits package.

Unique employee perks are growing in popularity because they’re an effective way to show you care about your employees — which translates to easier recruiting and less turnover.

What perks can you offer?

For inspiration, we turned to a recent WiseBread article that listed seven companies with amazing employee perks.

Here are some of our favorites:

• Scuba lessons: These are offered by Chesapeake Energy as part of their “Living Well” program, which “pays up to $1,000 for workers to participate in on-campus fitness and education classes.” Other sweet options include ballet, rock climbing, and aviation lessons.

• Health & wellness stipend: Eileen Fisher offers pilates classes at their headquarters, in addition to a $1,000 stipend that employees can use to “pursue health and wellness goals outside of work.”

• Paid or unpaid sabbaticals: Deloitte “offers associates partially paid three- to six-month sabbaticals to pursue personal or professional growth opportunities in career development or volunteerism,” as well as month-long unpaid leaves.

See a common thread?

All these perks contribute positively to your employees’ health and sanity. Paying up front for these types of perks will benefit you two-fold: not only will you have healthier, happier, and therefore, more productive and longer-lasting employees — you’ll also be able to attract higher quality recruits in the first place.

What are the craziest employee perks you’ve ever seen?

Susan Shain (@TravlJunkette) is a travel blogger who loves helping people discover adventure through international travel or alternative careers.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.