If you’ve been in the working world for long enough, you’ll have noticed that there’s an endless cycle of perks that employers offer. For a while in the early 2010′s, many offered free pizza and ‘desk beers’ on a Friday while these days, a free gym membership is a common perk offered to employees.
However, distance learning provider, Open Study College, spoke to 2000 members of the UK’s workforce to find out first-hand which ‘employee benefits’ mean the most to an employee and, uh, pizza didn’t come into it, actually.
One of their interesting findings, though, was that 60% of those surveyed admitted the perks of the job are make or break when it comes to accepting a new job role.
The perk that employees want most of all
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular work perk is actually the option for flexible or hybrid working. While this is something some employers are hesitant to implement, a study by Chicago University found that those who work on a hybrid basis are often happier, less prone to burnout and are more energetic from the reduced time spent commuting.
Other ideal perks included a good pension scheme, training and development, early finishes on a Friday, extended maternity/paternity leave and discounts for local activities and restaurants.
Conversely, the perks employees stated they were less interested in included Friday ‘desk beers’, pool tables, dogs in the office and office parties.
Additionally, those seeking employment are looking more closely at company culture than ever before with 56% of respondents admitting that they search for the company on social media as well as look up the current staff to understand the work culture and team.
Samantha Rutter-Bryant, CEO of Open Study College, said: “The key is for organisations to pick the right employee perks for their people.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all model. It’s important that organisations get accurate insights from their staff, follow up with engagement surveys, and keep an eye on the participation rates to see what’s working.”
It seems that our relationship with work is ever-evolving and we now have a clear focus on how work can help to improve our lives.