Money may not be able to buy happiness, but it can rent it for a little while.
But maintaining morale and fending off your competition for top talent? The dollars only go so far, according to a recent report by Employee Benefit Adviser.
Among the top influences in driving job satisfaction are so-called soft employee perks and company-culture benefits like flexible work schedules, professional development opportunities, fitness and health programs and on-site meals. And yet, 42% of survey respondents reported having no such perks at all.
Employee discount programs are used to bridge the gap in many cases, as our very own HR guru Lisa Oyler explained why. "A lot of companies are struggling to come up with the base compensation that keeps them competitive. [With Access Perks,] we offer their employees the chance to save a couple bucks every day at the coffee shop across the road or the popular lunch spot that half the office goes to."
Such perks connect employees to their company with a frequency that other benefits don't. The same holds true for flexible work schedules and professional development opportunities, which were rated as the perks employees coveted most of all.
Also listed among non-traditional perks were student loan repayment, gift cards and movie tickets. For more soft-perk statistics, read the Employee Benefit Adviser article here or visit our highly popular "ultimate collection" of employee perks and benefits statistics.