Lucy - BQ Magazine EditorGoing to the office and doing the same thing over and over again is a struggle for many employees. Most would rather be on a beach somewhere, feeling the wind rushing through their hair.
But the trick to keep them coming back needn’t be anything complicated, like professional development strategies or promises of promotions they’ll never receive. Instead, it could be as simple as your office setup. Getting it right could be the difference between holding onto your top talent and watching helplessly as other companies slurp up your best employees.
So, what perks can you add to your office to make it way better for the average worker? Let’s take a look at some of the options.
Offer Discounts On Products And Services From Local Businesses
One innovative approach is to offer your employees discounts on products and services from local businesses. Giving them money off items nearby helps to drive the local economy, creates reciprocal relationships, and makes them feel like they are getting something for nothing.
The number of these schemes in operation is surprisingly extensive. Even retail workers can sometimes benefit from them.
The trick is to build some kind of relationship with other local businesses. You want to establish a relationship along the lines of “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” If you can make the setup mutually beneficial, both parties have an incentive to work together for the benefit of their employee
Institute Financial Planning Workshops
Most people don’t know how money works. And that’s a problem. Despite high incomes, many employees get into financial trouble and wind up struggling.
So what’s the solution?
For many bosses, it’s offering financial planning workshops. These give workers the knowledge and expertise they require to steer clear of debt and finish the year hopefully better off than they started.
You can bring outside people in to give talks, or you can get your finance team to offer insights. Just be careful about giving any financial advice. You will need a professional for that.
Offer In-House Mentorship Programs
Another option is to provide employees with mentorship programs in the office itself. Hooking newbies up with more experienced employees can help them move forward and gain the progress they want.
Most firms don’t offer any kind of mentorship and simply leave their staff and contractors to get on with it. However, these relationships rarely last, and encourage employees and business owners to be fickle.
What you want is a setup where both sides invest in the other, building a stronger, long-term partnership.
Add A Game Room
Depending on the type of company you run, you might also want to install a games room. These provide colleagues with spaces to “break out” and take a breather from work.
Games rooms are also handy if your business model relies on cooperation and people working together. Having a space where they can have fun and bounce ideas off each other can create a hospitable working environment encouraging partnership and risk-taking, even between departments.
Make Drinks A Priority
While some employees don’t care about coffee, most office workers do. The brown drink is essential for getting through the day.
Therefore, you’ll want to make it a priority. Order the best coffee grinder you can find online for your kitchen and observe how employees respond. You’ll notice people seem more content with bringing drinks to their desks.
You can also add tea-making facilities, such as pots and stoves. Again, these transform the employee experience and provide them with access to some of their home comforts without having to find an expensive coffee shop nearby.
Offer Childcare Assistance
Some offices also encourage workers to stay with them by offering on-site childcare at discount rates. The firm rents the office building and then sub-leases part of it to a nursery. The nursery can then offer discounted rates to employees (or provide services for free in extreme circumstances).
Nearby childcare is convenient because workers can simply leave their children downstairs in the morning and collect them later. Putting it in the office eliminates the requirement to drive across town and visit multiple destinations before finally getting home in the evening.
Install Ergonomic Furniture
Another office perk many companies overlook is genuine ergonomic furniture. Buying tables and chairs that keep colleagues comfortable can reduce injuries and absences, encouraging more people to stay in the office for longer.
Ergonomic furniture is more expensive than generic, knock-off alternatives from the budget store. But it tends to pay for itself long-term. Workers are more productive and happier to spend longer in the office when they can avoid neck, back, and wrist pain (from all that typing they do!)
If you decide to implement ergonomic furniture in your office space, consider investing in standing desks. These are adjustable up and down and allow workers to avoid long sitting spells that can cause metabolic and health issues in some people.
Offer Healthy Snacks
Offering healthy snacks all day long is one of the most overlooked office perks. The majority of workers want firms to include these, but only a tiny fraction do.
Most employees go to the office with junk food snacks to keep in their office drawers. These provide them with extra energy at 11 am and 3 pm between meals, but they aren’t always the healthiest start to the day.
However, as an employer, you can provide workers with something better. For example, you could offer fruits, nuts, seeds, and trail mix in the kitchen for employees to help themselves. You could also order healthy snacks for vending machines or the office refrigerator, just in case workers want something that tastes a little more interesting.
Once you start offering healthy snacks, you should notice uptake rising. Employees will also become healthier and fitter over time, which could increase productivity and help them get more done.
Build An On-Site Gym
Another possible perk is an on-site gym. These allow workers to exercise and change in the office complex instead of having to go elsewhere.
Granted, on-site gyms are expensive to install, run, and maintain (especially if you plan to equip them with a significant range of equipment). However, they are also ultra-convenient for workers if there are no other gym facilities nearby.
The average worker spends upwards of 45 minutes driving to and from the gym. That’s time they could be spending doing something else more important.
However, when you put them in the office, commute times drop to a matter of minutes. Employees can simply walk downstairs to enjoy proper exercise facilities.
Provide Paid Time Off
You could also try offering your employee paid time off, besides their statutory holiday and sick leave. Giving them a couple of days every year for emergencies breaks the monotony and helps them feel less chained to the office and better able to live their lives on their own terms.
Paid time off gives employees time to recharge their batteries without having to worry about money. A single one-week vacation is often enough to keep most workers going for six months or more.
Go On Office Excursions
Another approach with a similar effect is to offer office excursions. Getting people out of stuffy cubicles makes them feel freer and happier.
It doesn’t have to be every day or during the middle of winter. But providing that level of freedom occasionally makes work seem less monotonous and more exotic, fostering loyalty and commitment.
So, there you have it: some office perks you might want to try to help your colleagues make it through the day.