From concierges to Zen yoga, employers are offering an
array of creative perks to attract and retain today’s workers.
Yahoo transports workers from their homes to the office.
PricewaterhouseCoopers employees get help paying back student loans. And at
Caruso Affiliated, even the most junior workers are eligible to use a concierge
service to pick up their dry cleaning and plan their kids’ birthday parties.
Welcome to the new world of benefits, where ever-more
imaginative perks are being built around the evolving needs of modern families,
the interests of Millennial employees (those born between 1981 and 2000) and
the elusive goal of achieving work/life balance.
Health insurance and 401(k)s have suddenly become
old-school—necessary but not always sufficient for attracting and retaining top
talent, especially young workers who may need more incentive than their older
peers to commit to a company for more than a year or two. That’s why many
employers are adjusting their benefits packages to include a wide array of
items that ease the stresses of workers’ day-to-day lives. The goal is to
create happier, more-stable workforces that are far less likely to be
distracted at the office because of unfinished tasks at home.
“If organizations want to recruit and retain the best
talent, they have to know the types of benefits that will attract and engage
employees,” says Rae Shanahan, chief strategy officer at Businessolver, a Des
Moines, Iowa-based benefits administration company. Shanahan strives to apply
that approach at her company, where workers enjoy onsite fitness classes and
are given rides to and from the mechanic when their car is in the shop.
Moreover, at many companies, in-office perks such as free
snacks and games, once considered the exclusive province of hip tech startups,
have gone mainstream.
In short, workers now want more, says Vincent Burneikis,
vice president of learning, development and hospitality at Los Angeles-based
real estate company Caruso Affiliated.
“We really wanted to be able to make a real impact on the
lives of employees and enhance their quality of life,” he says. That’s what led
to the company’s recently introduced concierge benefit.
“I hate standing in line,” Burneikis says. “The gift of
time, you really can’t buy.”
Within the first month of operation, the concierge saved
employees 540 hours, he says. “As soon as one person started using it, the
floodgates just opened up.”
The service does more than simply run errands for employees.
It helps them plan vacations and even buy tickets for Dodgers games, where they
can meet players on the field after the event. Usually, such pampering is
reserved for high-level executives, but at Caruso everyone can take advantage
of the concierge.