Perk up! It’s only a job

Money is no longer the draw for potential employees. Youngsters tell us about the perks and benefits that make them choose one job over another

Sameena Kenaz

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You’ve got it all. A great job with a desired pay cheque, the perfect life, et al. But, there’s something missing. You wish you had more. The perfect job could always get better. More perks and benefits wouldn’t hurt. We’re not talking about the various insurances provided by your company but are refering to the new and crazy perks that have become a rage with people applying for jobs in the recent past.

Free food, recreational rooms, great cafeterias, sleeping rooms, flexible work hours, movie tickets and in some cases even free phones for employees which have turned into new ways to attract people to apply to companies. Gone are the days when work meant a 9-5 drab day at office, sitting in front of the computer. Times have changed and employees and organisations are now bending the not-so-flexible rules of the corporate environment acc­ording to their whims and fancies.

If a company cannot offer recreational facilities to employees, then it drops from their list of places to work at. As Akshay Neelakantam, an Electronical Engineering student says, “There would always be another company which would offer me recreational facilities in today’s competitive world, so why on earth would I choose to work with one that doesn’t!”

Its no longer only the paycheque that matters, individuals today have many other demands which sometimes tilt towards wacky. “A hot boss, exotic vacations, access and live broadcast of sports, free movie tickets for employees and a gaming zone would be some of my requirements and expectations from the job” quips Umair, a management student. Resting lounges where one can sit, gossip and chill are some more outlandish provisions that the new generation of employees are pining for.

To some, good looking peers are something to look forward to and hence would drive them to work.

So, how important is the actual job? “These recreational facilities are nothing but ways to lure people to work for the companies. After a while those things hold no importance and we usually end up getting bored of such things after a while.” says Rachana, a Journalism graduate. Even Ravi K Vadlamani, a consultant with Y-Axis adds, “Free food is not that important but the quality is. Also, proper coffee machines, pick -up and drop facilities all week through are much more important to me than other menial perks.”

But, many beg to differ, saying, chilling is as important as working. Umair argues, “If you want to extract the best out of your employees, then you have to give them the best as well. Its a give-and-take process.”

So it seems that while big paycheques are obviously a pre-requisite, these additional crazy list of perks seem to be the drawing point for youth today. The inclusion of these bizarre perks at workplaces seem to be an irreversible trend that is putting most local companies on the back-burner for the freshly graduated folk.

Now that’s what we call perks

American companies are leading the way when it comes to offering their employees something extra. Read on, your workplace will never look the same again

MillerCoors
MillerCoors employees are encouraged to test the company products after hours. The on-site pubs in Chicago and Milwaukee offer 13 varieties of beer — for free.
SC Johnson
At SC Johnson, 12,000 employees have access to a concierge service that will take care of just about any chore: from returning overdue library books to making sure your dry cleaning gets picked up on time. The Racine, Wisconsin, company is in the business of cleaning products, after all.
Intuit
Ever wanted to try Zumba? Or at the least see your co-workers in neon spandex? You can try this, pilates and even Latin-style dance on Intuit’s corporate campus. Or, accept the $350 incentive to join a gym. The Mountain View, California, software company employs 7,000 and brought in $3.5 billion last year.
Loadspring Solutions
This one is quite the kicker: $5,000 and an extra week off for any employee who travels outside the country. Any surprise the Lawrence, Massachusetts, project management company has grown at an average rate of 75% annually over the past six years?
Cisco
Don’t have time for an oil change? The San Jose-based tech company has a car service on campus twice a week. Possibly a nominal perk for a company that brings in $42 billion annually.
JM Smucker
For employees who have the time, there’s no excuse not to get that second degree. The PB&J company will reimburse employees 100% of tuition costs (and there’s no limit on the price tag). Ohio State University is only 20 minutes from the company’s Orrville, Ohio headquarters.
DPR Construction
You can drink Merlot in all 17 of the Redwood City, Calif.-based company’s offices (save for its Austin, Texas location, which has a saloon).
Genentech
Genentech, Fortune magazine’s 2006 #1 workplace, provides dog-sitting for all its employees. If all 11,600 employees of the South San Francisco, Calif., biotechnology company owned animals, that could get expensive.
SAS Institute
Employees at SAS have no excuse for showing up to a meeting with a case of bedhead. The software solutions company provides a barbershop, nail salon and skin care at its Drive Cary, NC, headquarters.
Zynga
Social gaming giant Zynga CEO Mark Pincus throws a monthly poker game for his staff, complete with professional dealers and tons of cool prizes. Just over 1,300 lucky people get to work for the San Francisco-based company.

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