Consider your employees’ real needs before perkwashing them

Over the past decade, the trendsetters of Silicon Valley have established a new global standard in perks.

Facebook has a free confectionary shop and barber and a video arcade. At Googleplex, staff are given complimentary gourmet meals, can bring their dogs to work, and receive massage credits for a job well done.

Over the past decade, the trendsetters of Silicon Valley have established a new global standard in perks. While this has brought huge improvements to the dull workplaces of old, we’re now ­witnessing the emergence of ­perkwashing — masking dysfunctional cultures, long hours, high stress and mundane roles with pool tables and ping pong.

Creating pleasant workspaces makes life better for staff, which has a positive outcome for the company. But we also need to take stock of how employees thrive. What will motivate them to stay beyond a year when the novelty of free beer has worn off?

Employers have the power to set boundaries. If we make a habit of always sending emails at 11pm, employees feel pressured to follow suit. Work needs to work with you — your family and friends, your other interests, your wellbeing. It needs to work for you — your ambitions and sense of achievement.

The Australian Institute of Management national salary survey 2016 found four in five Aust­ralians leave a role in search of new challenges and more than half get out because of limited ­career opportunities. More than a quarter leave due to conflict with their manager or other employees. The more we can make time spent at work meaningful, the ­better the outcome for everyone.

Many companies make the mistake of assuming the best ideas happen at the top, ignoring the great pool of talent working for them. By empowering staff to ­participate in decision-making and new ideas, you will build a more meaningful connection with your business.

Zendesk holds a Lab Day fortnightly, where no meetings are scheduled so the engineering team can work on its own ideas and projects. We have an annual Zendevian Cup challenge in which the entire company globally is given 24 hours to work in teams competing for the best new product innovation prize.

Leadership — in particular middle management — is where a lot of behaviours are reinforced and many efforts to change die a quiet death. People follow their leaders’ examples, so choose middle management with the right leadership skills to embrace change and lead by example. Since behaviours are often driven by metrics, alter the metrics of management’s key performance indicators to affect change throughout the organisation.

Zendesk chief executive Mikkel Svane chose not to offer the Silicon Valley standard of free lunches. Staff are encouraged to leave the office — we think 37 hours a week is long enough to spend in one place — and support local businesses.

Zendesk also offers 16 weeks paid parental leave to mothers and fathers, as we believe in treating staff equally and recognise a job is always secondary to family. We encourage staff to volunteer in the community through charity partnerships. A big part of creating a meaningful workplace is not taking it too seriously. We need to get out of our work bubbles and stay connected to the things and people around us that matter more.

Before you spend big on company perks, take a deeper look at your business and assess whether it’s worth the investment.

Perkwashing is a short-term makeover at best.

Brett Adam is Zendesk Australia and New Zealand managing director.