Amazing work perks you're not getting
Take a look at these fun and unusual employee benefits.
Last week Starbucks introduced its 'Home Sweet Home' scheme which will give around 7,000 employees interest-free loans for tenancy deposits.
The maximum loan is a month's wages, and employees can pay it off over a year.
It's a nice perk, but there are plenty more useful, inspiring and even downright inexplicable benefits on offer from certain employers.
Steam room
Hosting provider UKFast has loads of perks, including a steam room, an extra week’s holiday if you get married and a family day out at Chester Zoo.
Free trainers
Last year, creative agency Thirdperson had a trainer day where staff were taken for a drink in Covent Garden and given cash to buy the trainers of their choice.
Boat-based adventures
PCA Predict (formerly Postcode Anywhere) has narrowboats, kayaks and a barge for employees to take out at evenings and weekends.
Sunshine Day
Mercy Corps allows a ‘Sunshine Day’ so that staff can make the most of good weather when it comes.
Before it joined with Mercy Corps, Mercy Corps Europe was known as Scottish European Aid. As part of the merger, it retained a day it called ‘Scot’s Leave’, a flexible day of annual leave which staff are encouraged to take when the sun comes out.
Ali Macleod of Mercy Corps said: “It’s a great benefit to have in Edinburgh, where we like to make the most of any hot weather.”
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Botox leave
The UK is seeing a rising trend of employers giving employees ‘botox days’, according to the Harley Medical Group. This allows staff to get grooming treatments like haircuts, manicures, facials and cosmetic surgery during the busy festive party period.
Christmas shopping day
Staff at marketing firm Fox Kalomaski Crossing get a Christmas shopping day on top of annual leave and their birthday which, although intended to avoid the Christmas shopping rush, can be used in any way they wish.
Jazz up the office
It’s true: app developers do get to have all of the fun. New staff at Neon Play have £100 to spend on gifts for the office such as board games, funky posters and Play Doh. They’ll go nicely with the pool table, dart board, bean bags and remote control helicopter that are already available to staff. And it stocks only the finest loo roll money can buy.
To help you get your driving licence, the company will also pay for your first two driving lessons.
Tick a box off your bucket list (for free)
Brighton-based search engine marketers Propellernet use a giant gumball machine as a ‘dream machine’.
Each member of staff puts in a bucket list activity, for example riding a motorbike across Africa. If the company hits its targets, they get a gumball out of the machine and someone gets to do their dream activity for free.
Don’t use the lift, take the slide
WANdisco, a tech firm in Sheffield, has a slide in place of stairs! It also has unlimited holidays so you can take as many as you need, as long as the job gets done.
Like Glastonbury, but with suits and ties
Octopus Group has an annual summer staff rock festival, Roctostock. They grab their guitars, head out to a field and cool down with some treats from an on-site ice cream van.
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More on employment and careers:
What to do if you’re made redundant
How to make yourself more employable
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