What fun/unique perks are offered to you by your employer?

starrynitecuds

This is a very diverse group, so I bet there are many positive and interesting ideas to share. I'd love to hear what others receive from their work on a regular basis. Here's my few:
1. I get free oil changes on the fleet account.
2. I can bring in the grandmini when I'm in the office.
3. My boss drops off his dog to hang with me.

What do you get?

In my previous job, we had access to the company store and could buy items for half off (if the packaging was damaged at all, we got it for 90% off). For a while, I got to go to Comic-Con every year and I used to get Christmas gifts from DC Comics. Good times.

starrynitecuds

@WriterGF Love those perks! Christmas shopping at work with extra discounts, yahoo!

Yeah, I do miss that. But as I hear it, when the company relocates to Boston next year there won't be any more company store. That's a big loss.

pmvines

I have a car and gas / maintenance card and can use my car for personal use and travel outside of work

I have autonomy to work out of my home and not dependent on an office

Tons of snacks and beverages in office when I do choose to go in

I get to take off when I want without using PTO if I do anything outside of regular work hours due to being on salary and not eligible for overtime

I have the honor of dealing with terminally Ill people in their homes during their last days of life

JohnR1972

@starrynitecuds - “grandmini” 😂
I’ve never heard that term before but I love it 😊

Regarding job perks, they are a new client rather than a direct employer (at least for now) but I get unlimited access to their proprietary suite of bleeding edge data tools that are years ahead of anything currently on the market. I feel like a college athlete who just got drafted by a pro team.

The travel is not much of a perk this time of year but it is beautiful there in the Spring.

starrynitecuds

@pmvines I have the WFH option, but prefer the office structure (except on snow/icy days). Plus, my suitemate has a 1 year old, so baby snugs and hugs anytime for this "auntie". 😊

starrynitecuds

@JohnR1972 oh, I love my 4 specialized programs that we subscribe so my time isn't wasted on minutiae, like travel. I can get about 90% of my clients necessary info from those programs. Very, very few aren't in a database or two. Some are very concerned when I tell them I'll contact them if I need their assistance. People have no idea how much is actually out there.

I get seven days a week off, freedom to move about at my leisure, no deadlines, performance reviews or snarky supervisor.

starrynitecuds

@gem7 My boss (who's a great guy) never gives employment reviews either. WIN!

cuudledragon

They pay $5000 for any class you want to take as added benefit and it does not come out of your paycheck

TheDave90

Being in the NHS gets me discounts on various shops, some hotels and other neat stuff.

Also bizarrely 20% off McDonalds

starrynitecuds

@DaveFromSussex that's too funny!
@theCuddleDrgn LOVE that! Is that per degree? Reimbursed after completion with a minimum grade?

cuudledragon

@starrynitecuds its given as a check directly to the school and it can be any class, I’m going to use it for reiki

TxTom

None.

starrynitecuds

@lonelytauros I'm with you! It's like the pizza Christmas lunch party for the staff while the C-suite goes to a swanky restaurant and takes the day off.

KariMeiSnuggles

I'm currently only doing the professional cuddling which i think you all already know the perks of. At my last job I got unlimited coffee and snack. They bought us lunch at least 3 days a week. for our birthday they would send us out with a couple of our besties anywhere we wanted to go for an hour with the company card for lunch. My supervisor bought me gas quite often and even bought me groceries for home a couple times. They had contests with huge prizes. everyone else was really excited about the special edition nikes but i gave them to other employees whenever i won them. I did love my 95 inch curved tv and surround sound i won before it was stolen in a break in. I also got christmas for my kids one year all with things i won an occulus, an xbox one ect. I really do miss that job often.

WestsideMarc

Filtered water.

Sooson

Effing none
But I get to work from home since Covid and that in itself is a major perk.

TheFunCartel

I have worked from home before Covid was cool.

I was paid my regular salary while I was out for six months after major surgery and during rehab.

I sometimes don’t hear from my boss for weeks and even months at a time. (I have been with the company for over 20 years)

I decide when and where I travel to.

In fact, my company has looked out for me and left me alone for over 20 years. Most of this is based upon creating new markets and revenue streams for them that have brought in millions of dollars. As a result, as long as I handle my business they let me operate how I please. Yes, I do understand how fortunate I am to have people that reward me with an extremely attractive salary and bonuses that are eye-popping, but working unfettered is the best perk of all.

4cuddles

@DaveFromSussex do you mean 20% off nandos?

Maverick07

Unique: free probiotics (I work for a microbiology company).

interalia626

I warehouse a major brand in the granola and nuts sort of snack foods category, and there's always some free product to snack on in the break room.

CuddleBreeze4

“Personalized” sundries in the bathrooms.

Tide pens, breath mints, man wipes, and other compliantry sanitization products, like mini toothbrushes with toothpaste in the bristles, quality toilet paper, generous time that the auto facets run, and no automatic paper towels, I can get as many as I want.

starrynitecuds

@Sooson @TheFunCartel working from home is definitely a perk on gas, vehicle, and commute time, but do you have designated hours? Are there meetings at 2 am?
@TheFunCartel being paid while off is incredible and being entrusted with so much autonomy is rare. Does your employer have low turnover? Do they treat everyone like that or is it an earned perk for your longevity and higher ranking? I'd bet the did away with the yearly standardized reviews, too.

@Maverick07 That's truly a unique perk. 😆

@interalia626 snacks are always welcome.

@CuddleBreeze4 Tide pens, quality TP and those toothbrushes are great! TP matters!

starrynitecuds

@KariMeiSnuggles sounds like some great parties. Are they still on business?

@WestsideMarc considering I just switched from soda to water, I would love that! City water tastes weird to me, I'm used to a well.

TheFunCartel

@starrynitecuds Retention at my company is phenomenal. We have five designers and they average about 16 years with the company and the top two came aboard when I did so they have over 20 years in. In operations we have several people with over 20 years. I think I speak for all of us in the company when I say none of the veterans even entertain the idea of being anywhere else. The longevity of people in our company breeds a sense that we have each others’ backs and is the closest example of an extended family at a commercial company I have seen.

And funny you should bring up reviews as those are done when performance bonuses are discussed at year end. My boss gets on the phone with each of us individually each year and begins by covering how the company did, followed by a summary of how my area did, and concluding with a thank you for your efforts and continued dedication. Then he tells me my bonus which is always well into five figures every year. I do very well on salary alone so the bonus is gravy. Yes, being appreciated is a major factor in retention, at least for me. I have never felt like a cog at the company. I have always felt seen and valued.

As far as working from home goes, I set my own hours, but I usually don’t even start until 9 because I am involved with things coast-to-coast so that means west coasters and Hawaii are talking to me after normal CST business hours. When I am traveling on the west coast it sucks if I forget to turn off my work phone because people on the east coast or my company might call at 5 AM. At home my work phone stays in my office unless I leave the house. My overseas contacts normally e-mail.

Yes, I am very fortunate. But this company has been around in the same family since 1872 so they obviously know what they are doing. They own their buildings, they have zero debt, and every thing the company needs is paid in cash. The company is as liquid as you can get.

Being liquid and successful over such a sustained period also means we have the luxury of walking away from business we do not want for whatever reason. This ability and fortitude allows me leverage in negotiations because I have walking away in my back pocket and people in the industry are aware of this.

starrynitecuds

@TheFunCartel I love hearing about great employers from happy, proud employees! It's so rare, but refreshing. Not many people have a job and feel appreciated today. Your gratitude is quite evident, too. Thank you for your in-depth responses.

Lemonchic

My employer offers

£500/month for anything to improve physical and mental health like gym memberships, massages, fitness classes, fitness accessories, therapy, vitamins/supplements you name it

£400/month for healthy foods/groceries

New kindle/fire every year and 4 free books a month

Unlimited time off

Quarterly all expenses paid retreats

We are all remote

tupperwhere

I used to work for an automaker and we got really good deals on leases that included maintenance/insurance, and I could fuel up and get free car washes at the assembly plant I worked at.

I worked for a tech company for a bit and they let us expense lunch every Friday, a quarterly phone bill allowance, we could expense a monthly subscription box for a child/pet, more merch than you could handle and all sorts of other things. I got laid off 5 months in though so I would have gladly given them up for better job security🤦‍♂️

My current employer (not auto related) offers $5k for the purchase of an electric car (on top of any federal/state incentives) and free charging at all of our locations.