The quirky work perks employers are using to attract Generation Y staff

Birthday leave, free breakfast and even birds in the office are some of the perks employers are using to attract young workers.

Birthday leave, free breakfast and even birds in the office are some of the work perks employers are boasting in their job advertisements in a bid to attract a young workforce.

And experts say there is merit in the madness.

While salary is still the top driver of attraction for young staff, recent studies by SEEK reveal Millennials value remuneration less than the workforce that preceded them.

The employment advertiser surveyed nearly 6,000 job candidates to find Generation Y rated their working environment, additional benefits and career development of more importance than Generation X and Baby Boomers did.

Employers are tuning in to the trends with recent SEEK ads from Specsavers offering birthday leave and a social club, and Gem Energy welcoming office dogs through its doors.

Social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle said the shifting priorities of people in their 20s and 30s reflected the difference in way their life looked in contrast to how it might have looked a few decades ago.

“Older generations were often supporting a family when they were in their late twenties so they had a greater focus on monetary benefits,” Mr McCrindle said.

Yoshi the Quaker parrot on Vera Evdokimov's shoulder at pet-friendly workplace Woollam Constructions, East Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

“But that’s changed. Young people more so want work to mean something to their lives beyond the finance.”

The Covid-19 pandemic also played into greater expectations for flexibility, according to Mr McCrindle.

He said restrictions resulted in people proving they could work efficiently at home, but they also spent more time with family and discovered their own backyard.

“I think they realised that while work is an important part of life, it does need to fit into a holistic life,” Mr McCrindle said.

“In a time of an ageing workforce, employers need to work harder to attract and retain the emerging workforce, they need to focus on the pull factors.

“Work perks show that an employer values their employees and they’ve been shown to increase engagement.”

Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Southern Queensland Dr Kim Southey said a focus on engagement was trending as employers recognised the commitment and loyalty they could be rewarded with.

“Certain perks, such as inviting pets into the office, might not work for everyone but they’re clever because most of the perks on offer aren’t hugely expensive,” Dr Southey said.

“It tells an employee that work can be their home-away-from-home.”

Dr Southey said well being and psychological safety were increasingly appearing on the radar for companies.

Yoshi the Quaker parrot and Mitch Perry at pet-friendly workplace Woollam Constructions, East Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

Queensland’s oldest building company Woollam, the name behind the Breakfast Creek Hotel, has rolled out a “Woolbeing’’ program with a range of initiatives including an unplug policy outside work hours and even allowing pet birds in the office.

Managing director Craig Percival said keeping the workplaces safe and happy was a priority.

‘’Woolbeing is another extension of that. It’s about promoting a positive safety culture, it’s about reducing injury, it’s about learning opportunities, it’s about community engagement and it’s about proven ways that can recharge us mentally, physically and emotionally,” he said.

Work perks including work-life balance were introduced in response to the construction industry having the highest rate of male suicide in the country.

The latest Melbourne and Deakin University research revealed 3621 construction workers took their lives from 2001-2018.

“That is why we work closely with health and safety experts in all our offices and worksites, gathering regular feedback from our staff, which ultimately is how Woolbeing was developed,” Mr Percival said.

Dr Southey said a good way for employers to introduce work perks was to ask staff what they wanted.