On Job Perks
Recently, Google has been in all over the press for being named Fortune’s Best Company to Work For. Onsite amenities such as free gourmet food, a gym, laundry facilities, massages, and doctors vaulted the search engine giant to number one. Initially, I found all of the stories about the Google’s amazing campus a little humorous—it’s not like any of this is new news. Additionally, this got me thinking about the other, darker side of job perks.
A lot of employees think it’s cool if their employer gives them a brand-new laptop or a Blackberry. This, however, just signals to me that the boss expects you to be available (and work) 24/7. That’s why offering all those conveniences to employees is so great for Google, because, for example, if their employee doesn’t have to go out for lunch, that means they spend more time at work. It also inspires insane company loyalty. Neither of these things are malicious or anything, but at least you can see the ulterior motives behind all the goodies.
Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with employee benefits, and making your employees feel respected and valued is a worthy and business-savvy goal. In fact, employee benefits are “in” right now—workers are increasingly looking for a job with flexibility and things like gym memberships and tuition reimbursement. But, frankly, it all makes me feel pretty lucky that my bosses want us to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
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