Bonuses, pension schemes, on-site parking – every company has a standard benefits package to offer employees. While these employee perks are certainly great and practical, they won’t always have a marked impact on the everyday happiness of your team while they’re actually at work.
But why is this important? Well, the happiness of employees at work can have a massive effect on the success of a business. Unhappy employees are less engaged, less productive and their negativity can be contagious – before you know it, your entire workforce could be miserable!
Creating a working environment that workers are happy in and enthusiastic about being a part of can not only strengthen team relations and create a culture of positivity, but boost the profitability of the business. You heard us right, investing a little money into your staff benefits and perks can actually reap financial rewards in the long run! Happy and engaged employees are less likely to pull ‘sickies’ and are more likely to stick around; absence and attrition can take out a sizeable chunk out of a company’s budget.
Additionally, keeping employees happy improves their performance. Quality of service, sales and accuracy are all increased in content workers, all of which can contribute to profits and do wonders for your brand!
Introducing a selection of additional employee perks and benefits can make employees feel valued, appreciated and increase the overall morale in the workplace. Making work more enjoyable will benefit everyone, just ensure that the perks will be suited to the majority of the team. The great news is, that it needn’t cost the earth, either! Here’s a list of perks employees will love, but that won’t break the bank:
Flexible Working Hours
Families, yoga classes, doctor’s appointments, social engagements – everyone has things they need to factor into their working week, and it’s not always easy. The structure of the classic Monday-Friday 9-5 working week doesn’t always work for everyone; the introduction of more flexible hours will make workers feel trusted and improve their work/life balance.
Completely flexible hours may not always be feasible, but things like early finishes, the ability to slide shift, bank hours or even allowing employees to work from home every now and then can make a significant difference to their job satisfaction (with very little cost involved!).
Pets at Work
As long as this isn’t a health and safety risk – it’s not the best idea for factories or restaurants – having animals in the office can do wonders for everyone’s mood. It’s pretty hard to be unhappy with furry friends scurrying around! Whether you opt for an ‘office pet’ or simply opt for a ‘bring your pet to work’ scheme, this is a completely free perk that will bring a smile to workers’ faces.
Pet owners love their ‘fur babies’ and can spend a lot of money on things like catteries or ‘doggy daycare’; letting them bring their beloved pets to work will save them a lot of cash and a lot of worry too.
Just make sure that you have a system in place to maintain pet harmony – you don’t want dogs chasing cats all day!
Free Food
Come on, everyone loves a bit of free food, don’t they? (We have it on good authority that it tastes better when it’s free, too!) It seems like a trivial thing, but offering employees something to munch on can be a very welcome treat.
The great thing about feeding the workforce can manifest itself in many ways, and therefore one benefit can soon turn into a vast array of employee perks. For example, an office snack box/cupboard, continental breakfasts, team lunches/dinners, summer picnics and barbecues – these won’t cost too much, but will be appreciated more than you’d think. Even something as little as bringing in sweets or a cake can lift their spirits!
Keep them Entertained
Bored employees quickly become unhappy colleagues – and all work, no play can take its toll on the best of people. A great employee benefit is to simply make sure that they’re entertained. Perk up their break times by providing games (consoles, table tennis or a pool table for example), books/magazines, a computing or TV area, anything that will keep them occupied!
Social events are also a great way to shake things up; finish early and get outside, play sports together or go for a few drinks. This is not only something your team will enjoy, but will help everyone bond.
You see, these are just a few of the many employee perks that could be introduced in your workplace to make sure the team is as happy as possible – and they’re friendly to the bank account, too. Get creative or talk to the team about what they would like and soon your workplace could be happier than it’s ever been.
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