Want a Great Culture? Get Creative With Your Perks

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A few years ago, just having a ping-pong table was enough to attract young talent; now, it’s just a gimmick to a talent pool that demands more. Today, employers have the opportunity to become innovators through their perks – and they’d better take that opportunity, if they expect to attract the best and brightest.

Meaningful Perks Create Strong Bonds Between Employees and Employers

One of the great follies a company can make is failing to create a culture of unity. When employees feel separated from the company and its leaders, that usually leads to major problems. The right perks can help build and strengthen relationships between employees and the company, which can boost morale and performance in turn.

At Experticity, one of the perks we believe strengthens our relationship with employees is giving them the opportunity to take service trips to various countries in exchange for their participation in our payroll giving program. Experticity covers the expedition fee for employees who undertake a CHOICE Humanitarian trip. The program provides deeply meaningful experiences that create lasting bonds between colleagues.

Meaningful Perks Add Value to Employees’ Lives

Many companies offer their employees fun perks like dart boards and company bikes, but truly great perks add value to employees’ lives. That’s why some employers are focusing on creating service opportunities for employees. Given that millennials find more value in experiences than in things, these service opportunities can also be powerful recruiting tools.

Service trips aren’t the only way to add value to employees’ lives. IT firm Augury gives employees who refer new hires a range of reward options to choose from, including courtside seats at an NBA game, a Lamborghini rental for the weekend, tickets to a concert in Europe, or a meal for two at a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Meanwhile, Amazon helps employees ease some of their stress by allowing them to bring their dogs to work. The company built a 1,000-square-foot dog park at its Seattle headquarters so employees’ pets could exercise and play during the day.

Small but impactful perks, like Amazon’s dog-friendly office, can make employees lives a lot easier. That’s the kind of value talent is looking for in perks today.

Meaningful Perks Tie Back to Your Company’s Identity and Culture

Much like great gift-giving, providing exceptional perks is an art form. The right perks will foster a strong company culture, but you lose that chance if you offer the same cookie-cutter perks everyone else does.

As a good example of a perk that ties back to a company’s culture, Burton Snowboards  gives employees free ski passes and offers flexible work options so they can get a ride when conditions are ideal. More than a chance for fun, this perk helps employees make lasting memories with their coworkers while embodying the Burton brand. When employees internalize the culture and feel like they help to shape it, they’ll feel a sense of loyalty to the organization.

In the halls of Experticity, we have a neon sign that asks, “How Can I Help You?” Our devotion to customer service sets the tone for employees, and we try to map our perks and benefits to this core value. A strong culture and unique perks help your company stand out in a competitive hiring market. Start by determining what your company represents, and identify perks that match. From there, get creative.

Heather Mercier leads talent acquisition and development, business intelligence, finance, and business development for Experticity.

By Heather Mercier