The employment perks that work (and the ones that don’t)
Offices are increasingly adding lifestyle perks to keep their staff happy, engaged and loyal, but what works best? Free food and table tennis or fostering a sense of value?
In the rush to secure and retain scarce talent, companies are dangling everything from a four-day week, unlimited annual leave, pet-friendly offices, free Uber Eats, free breakfasts and lunches and on-site baristas in front of current and potential employees. Increasingly, wage slaves wanting to spend part of the year working in Rome, or who might want live and work permanently in New Zealand or Singapore, can do that too.
Pre-pandemic, much of this was unheard of. But in 2022 such corporate largesse and flexibility is hardly surprising, given that the unemployment rate is just 3.4 per cent and for the first time on record there are more job openings than unemployed people to fill the vacant positions.
Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London. Connect with Sally on Twitter. Email Sally at spatten@afr.com
