Four Employee Perks That Work
For many, the traditional 9-to-5 workday at the office is an artifact of a distant past. Technology has enabled a culture of constant connectivity. If you can work from anywhere, you’ll usually do just that: through dinner, late at night and on weekends.
At the same time, with the boundaries between our work and personal lives increasingly blurred, workplace flexibility is gaining credibility for its impact on employee creativity and productivity.
If you’re one of the millions who commute to the office every day, an increasing number of companies—particularly tech startups and sports- and activity-based businesses—are offering creative perks to attract young talent, boost morale and raise productivity.
What if you could take a break from your desk and refresh with a quick snooze at your company’s nap station, or counteract that 3 p.m. lull with a competitive game of ping-pong with coworkers? What if you were simply given more vacation days, or your company mandated that you devote a portion of your work hours to personal projects.
Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, believes there’s validity in the old proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
“We are all built—designed by nature—to play,” Brown says. “Accessing that innate playfulness within your work situation, and life, activates latent talents and helps improve productivity,” he adds.
