What Makes a Successful Employee Perks Program?

It’s no secret employees love perks. Whether it’s receiving gift cards to recognize especially hard work or having an off-site party to mark a project milestone, people like to feel appreciated by employers. In fact, according to a survey by Glassdoor, 79 percent of employees polled said they’d prefer new or additional benefits and perks to a pay increase. Because of this, smart companies are constantly evolving and expanding the ways they acknowledge and reward employees.

That said, just offering a bunch of perks isn’t enough. An employee perks program needs to be carefully considered in order to successfully motivate employees. Here are some key elements of successful programs:

• It’s not one-size-fits-all. Make sure there’s a variety of options offered in your program, in order for it to be rewarding for many different people. For example, employees who don’t have children won’t be impressed by a childcare subsidy and employees who aren’t into sports won’t consider tickets to a playoff game much of a reward. The best practice here is to offer a bunch of different things and use a cafeteria-style approach where employees can choose what they want.

• It includes known winners. There are, of course, certain perks just about everyone enjoys. Ending workdays early prior to holidays and offering on-site lunch and snack options tend to be universally popular. No one will complain about performance bonuses either!

• People are aware of the perks. There’s no excuse for someone saying, “I didn’t even know our company offered tuition reimbursement.” Don’t leave your list of perks buried in a stack of HR paperwork handed out at the time of hire. There should be on-going promotion of what’s available to employees. Good internal communication should make sure everyone is aware of the perks program and all it has to offer.

• The requirements are clear. Let people know precisely what they need to do to receive certain incentives. Employees should know exactly what the standards are to earn perks, whether it’s a set amount of time on the job or hitting a certain performance objective. For example, many culture-conscious companies give things like gift cards to employees who recognize their peers’ work most throughout the month. Goals should be achievable too. It’s alright to set goals that push employees but make sure they don’t seem so impossible that no one strives to earn the rewards.

• It suits your culture. Make sure your program is tailored to your employees. If people at your office tend to be more reserved, sending them to a ropes course for a fun day of team building may not seem like fun, let alone a perk. What you offer should be inspiring to your specific group of people! Managers should ask some of the company’s top performers for input before settling on a plan.

Successful programs change over time, so be sure to re-evaluate yours regularly. Survey employees to find out which perks they like and what they’d like to see added. You’ll help ensure that your program remains a valuable motivational tool.