6 Job Perks That Keep Employees Happy

It takes a lot to keep employees around. Gone are the days when a good salary and a solid benefits package would attract loyal workers. Today’s employees want better work/life balance, flexible hours and the ability to enjoy life once in a while.

Here are six job perks that will keep your employees happy.

1. Flexible Work Hours

In today’s digital world, we can work from anywhere and at anytime we want. Employees don’t want to feel chained to their desks working 9 to 5. Some people work better in the evening; others at the crack of dawn.

Offering flexible work hours will give your workers more freedom and the ability to maintain a better work/life balance. Flexible hours also mean that workers don’t have to miss important milestones in their child’s lives.

Employees at Netflix’s California headquarters can come and go as they please – vacation days and work hours aren’t even tracked. The only thing the company cares about is getting work done. Employees are free to do whatever it is they have to do whenever is most convenient for them.

2. More Time Off

Who doesn’t want more time off? Some companies offer serious time off, so employees can play just as hard as they work. Virgin Group and Glassdoor actually offer unlimited time off. Yes, unlimited.

At Metis Communications, staff members get a generous amount of vacation time, but they also get their birthdays off, a week off at the end of December, and if you’ve been with the company for five years, Friday vacation days in the summer.

Over at Adobe, the company shuts down for a week in the summer and in December.

3. Wellness Packages

Employees want more than just basic health insurance; they want a total wellness package. Some employers offer spa and massage services for employees. Google actually has on-staff physicians.

Some employers now have chefs and cafes on-site that serve healthy food. Offering food will help keep employees energized, happy and full. Providing access to an on-site gym is another great perk, or you can offer gym memberships to local clubs to encourage staff members to lead a healthy lifestyle.

4. Student Loan Payoffs

Student loan debt in the United States has ballooned to $1.45 trillion, with 44 million borrowers. The average borrower pays $351 per month for their student loans.

Millennials seriously want this job perk. A survey in 2015 reports that 76% of participants said that if an employer offers student loan repayment assistance as a job benefit, it would be a contributing or deciding factor in whether or not they accepted the job offer.

Student loan debt is crippling millennials. Offering assistance with student loan repayment would absolutely improve employee loyalty.

5. Fun Days

Life doesn’t have to be so serious – and neither does work. The folks at REI encourage their employees to enjoy the great outdoors by offering two paid days off to enjoy their favorite outdoor activities. They call these days “Yay Days.”

Over at World Wildlife Fund, employees are given every other Friday off. These are called Panda Days.

Workers at Burton are given season ski passes and fun snow days to hit the slopes.

6. More Time Off for Maternity and Paternity Leave

Welcoming a new baby into the world is a tough job, and parents aren’t typically given nearly enough time to settle into their new lives. Some employers are helping change the tides by offering generous maternity and paternity leave options.

Social network giant Facebook offers an incredible perk for new parents. Employees – both moms and dads – get up to four months of paid time off for parental leave. They also get reimbursement for day care costs and adoption fees. After the baby is born, they can get up to $4,000 in “baby cash.”

Netflix gives employees up to one year of paid maternity and paternity leave. Spotify gives employees six months of paid parental leave.

And if an employee dies before retiring from Google, the company will provide the surviving spouse or partner 50% of their salary for ten years.

If you run a small- or medium-sized business, you may not be able to offer the same level of perks to your employees. But you can use these benefits as inspiration to offer something similar that fits into your budget.