A company’s success is far more likely if they employ people who care about what they do and do what they care about. Fully engaged, happy employees are the benchmark of growing businesses. Workplace perks are the weapons every company uses to attract and retain employees. Are your work perks up to the challenge?
- Happy workers help their companies beat out the competition by 20%.
- Employees satisfied with their jobs are 12% more productive.
- Sales people happy with the work they do achieve 37% more sales than their unhappy counterparts.
- Absenteeism is ten times greater in unsatisfied workers than satisfied workers.
And finally, only 42% of employees are content with the rewards offered in their current employment, which means there’s a huge opportunity to fill the gaps and attract the best people for your workplace.
So how can you make sure your company ranks high in job satisfaction for your most important asset? By keeping in line with perks employees want most, and in 2017, that’s time.
On-Site Errand Savers
Offer your employees modest perks that save them time off the clock, so when they’re on the clock, they’re focused on you and not their manic evenings or weekends when they leave their desk. Perks such as on-site dry cleaning, on-site oil changes, and company vetted services such as housekeeping or landscaping lead to more loyal, engaged workers with more time thanks to a leadership team that shortens their errands.
Flexibility With Time-Card Punching
Providing flex-work schedules, compressed work weeks, and more paid time off also allow your employees to recharge their batteries so when they return, they’re rested, relaxed, and ready for anything. They’re also more in control of their schedules and less likely to need time off for personal appointments. Overtired, overworked, stressed employees lack focus and patience when it comes to doing the best job they can. Can you afford lackluster performance when competition is so fierce?
Better Dining Options
Employees also love access to free food and drink. For example, Google offers around 30 different dining options for their employees, and yes, they’re all free. The reasoning varies nearly as much as the options. It boosts interdepartmental interaction, sparking collaboration over a shared lunch with new, innovative ideas between employees who don’t always work side by side. It encourages exercise. If an employee’s favorite café is on the other side of campus, they’ll hoof it for the reward at the end. Offering healthier fare leads to a healthier workforce, which in turn means fewer sick days taken while also boosting employee energy against afternoon doldrums.
Free food saves the always-coveted time as well. An employee who gets a few more minutes with their children in the mornings when they’d typically be packing a lunch already have a happier day. Child-free employees may get more snooze time, resulting in a better rested, brighter eyed worker. Some companies even offer carry-out dinner options that—while not necessarily free—can free up their employees’ evenings for happier, more fruitful activities spent with family and friends, saving on shopping, cooking, and cleaning time.
Happy employees can turn a sagging bottom line into a robust one. Teams collaborate better, work harder, work smarter, and do more for company culture, which are intangibles every employee wants. There are ways to foster that happiness with a little ingenuity, attention to detail, and recognition of their needs to maintain a healthy, productive outlook on what they do for you every day.
