25+ Employee Perks and Benefits that are Pivotal in Building a Happy & Engaged Workforce

Employee perks, aka fringe benefits, are crucial in keeping the workplace buzzing. Employees consider the workplace environment and benefit more than the number of zeroes on their paycheck because mental exhaustion worsens if they can’t love what they do.

We will cover the nitty-gritty of employee perks shortly, but let’s lay the foundation by highlighting 25 must-have employee perks and benefits that every organization must try to inculcate in their fringe benefits list.

25 Employee perks and benefits at work

Here are some employee perks and benefits that an organization simply can't miss if it wishes to build an enthralling culture.

1. Reward and recognition programs

When it comes to perks that pay dividends implicitly and straight up, reward and recognition are tools that can win half the battle to keep your workforce happy. The extra compensation provided to your employees to keep them motivated is a perk that would surely do wonders if it exists. Still, there’s a lot of harm in not having a reward and recognition program in place.

Organizations like Anca Machine Tools have improved their employee engagement scores by 100% after switching to transparent rewards and recognition programs by Empuls. This employee perk works wonders on organizations of every size.

From bonuses to verbal praise, first days to work anniversaries, and a gala at the end of each quarter, these reward and recognition programs change the game by simply being there.

Reward and recognition as a perk don’t cost too much money but deliver many psychological and behavioral returns to your employees’ work ethic.

2. Work-life integration

Hold on; your first thought might be, “Work-life balance as a perk? Isn’t that a bare necessity? Since we are talking about amenities that can be packed and sold as employee perks and benefits, the integration of work-life to a personal one is a great perk in the eyes of the employees.

Your workforce doesn’t have different personalities for office and outside-of-office (well, most of them don’t). To cope with that, an environment is needed at work that allows their original personalities to exist.

Work-life integration works for this very cause. Make your office an enjoyable place where people can broadcast their true selves and make the most of it. This implicit perk comes at a metaphorical cost to HR. It involves people acting out their presentable personalities, coming forth with their sexual orientation (a policy that Netflix aces in), and matching the vibe with other people.

Work-life integration doesn’t simply mean stocking enough food in the pantry to last for four weeks (even though it’s a crucial thing, according to Harvard Business Review). The concept of work-life integration is to give your employees a workspace where they can be themselves and get the job done simultaneously-- be it physically, psychologically, or simply when the stomach growls for a snack.

3. Employee perks and discounts

Nothing gives employees a boost in self-esteem more than telling their friends how they copped a neat deal through their employer. Employee perks and discounts make up for a crucial perk, and they are the organization’s personal branding in front of the world.

With plentiful rewards platforms available, employers can get formidable deals for their team as perks-- be it on medicines, merchandise, apparel, groceries, or anything.

BusinessOne, a major player in technology and pharma, used rewards and discounts to reduce attrition and improve productivity. These discounts turn out to be a real head-turner and give your workforce an added advantage for working with you-- which exemplifies what proper perks should do.

4. Performance bonus

In most cases, monthly salaries are enough to get the job done, but great things happen when a performance bonus is in the books. Monetary rewards directly relate to the rise in efforts and, ultimately, results.

It is key to link their emotions with monetary rewards and engage them in accomplishing the task at hand the workforce motivated.

However, the deal with performance bonus is that it’s the first to be scratched off in tumultuous times. This mistake, which is often made to cut costs, cuts down the workforce’s efforts, and the organization ends up suffering more than what it saved by cutting those costs. This case study from Harvard Business Review signifies the importance of performance bonuses in bad times.

With performance bonuses, rewards are tied to results, making it a terrific perk to give out. The IRF states that team incentives can increase productivity by 44 percent. Performance bonuses and incentives can easily be gamified with platforms.

5. Unlimited paid sick days

Sure, anyone’s initial thought would be that an employee can lie n number of times and get their sick leaves approved, but it shouldn’t be the case if your organization is built on the cornerstone of integrity and trust.

On the flip side, however, unpaid sick days carry a huge threat to the organization and the allegedly sick employee.

The American Psychological Association has researched to find that workers without paid sick leaves are depressed and suffer higher odds of anxiety, stress, and even episodes of schizophrenia.

A separate study by  National Partnership for Women & Families states that paid sick days improve public health with reduced risk of disease spread through contamination of commonly used workspace. This evidence states that even though it might take some precautions, unlimited sick days are pivotal for the common good.

6. Retirement plan

Personal finance is a topic that the person worries about the most and procrastinates the most. Every working-class employee wants to have a formidable plan for the future in case of uncertainty that looms over every one of us, and that is why the employer’s contribution to retirement plans, 401k, or provident fund is the real deal-breaker.

31% of employees are ready to jump ship if not offered retirement benefits.

Every employee believes that without the employer’s contribution, they won’t be able to hang up their boots in the foreseeable future. This perk really makes an organization look benevolent in the stakeholders’ eyes.

A study by Fora Financial states (apart from the above facts) that employees are happy to stay on for long if their retirement plan needs are met voraciously.

7. Reimbursement on tuition

Your workforce and its brains would only skyrocket when they gain theoretical experience along with working on the job. Almost every progressive organization encourages its members to grow intellectually through education, and many employees find this an added incentive to learn while they work. That is why tuition reimbursement is a crucial perk for employees irrespective of age group.

Google employees get $12,000 in reimbursable funds every year as a part of their tuition reimbursement policy. This money can be used to make the most of any course, higher education, or upskilling of an individual. Not only goes this give Googlers a reason to stay, but a reason to grow as they work with the tech giant.

As student loan debt is a trillion-dollar black hole in America alone, tuition reimbursement would give employees just the right push to go for higher studies while they earn by working with you. From the employees’ perspective, they save up on the opportunity cost of earning while learning, while for the employer, a new resource unleashes with greater intellectual prowess.

8. Gym membership

A gym membership is to employee perks and benefits at work what a box of chocolate is to Christmas—it’s so common that it’d be criminal to take it off the list. Many say that gym memberships are adored by many and used by none, but research by DataHub proved that gym memberships are one of the most widespread perks.

This shows that even though people sign up for corporate gym memberships when offered employee perks and benefits, they still might not go. The same study shows that 63% of these corporate gym memberships are taken up by women, which sheds light on which gender prioritizes health when gift wrapped as a perk.

9. Assistance in commute

It’s obvious why commute assistance is a valued perk. The US Census Bureau found that an average daily worker committed to a five-day-a-week full-time job spends over 200 hours commuting. A person in the United States spends almost NINE DAYS every year stuck in commute!

Not only is the commute time-consuming and unrelenting, but it’s costly as well. Employees often switch jobs over commute times, and those who commute from beyond the seven seas lose all their energy while making it to work. This makes aiding in a commute a perk that pays off. Be it sharing rides with colleagues, boarding a shuttle designated to the workplace, or a company cab—it’ll make your team’s life easier.

10. Unlimited vacation leaves

This is one of those innovative employee perks and benefits that unlock with the hustle. By gamifying targets and project sprints throughout the year in quarters, HR can provide employees with the benefit of unlimited vacation time. The vacation isn’t capped, but it generally comes with an asterisk of paid and unpaid vacation time. This is a great attention-grabber from the employees ' perspective and really charges them up.

Airbnb gives its employees $2,000 every year to travel anywhere globally. This turns out to be a real attention grabber for the young millennials and Gen-Z who are suckers for and gather all their vacation hours to get a week off.

Ask.com doesn’t even have a vacation policy. All they want from their employees is to get their work done, after which they can take n number of vacation days to cherish their personal time. These perks really drive employees to go the extra mile.

11. Snack bars & vending machines

The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions ‘perks’ is food. And to paint a lucid picture, it’s more about aesthetically appealing salad bars are the clunk sounds from the vending machine.

Giving your workforce access to healthy meals, snacks, and beverages automatically boost their morale, and the wellbeing factor is taken care of. Sign up with a vendor to deliver a daily dose of healthy snacks and watch those faces get sharp and perky with this perk!

12. Learn at work

There’s something about practical learning that can’t be learned in books. To aid employees in accomplishing their personal and professional goals, the best perk is to create an atmosphere of learning. Prominent employee perks and benefits at work include online courses from various prominent institutes that really upskill individuals with talents that stay with them for life.

13. Lounge rooms to relax

Sleeping pods, nap rooms, recliner chairs are the latest Instagram-able piece of office corners that fit well in unused office space. These perks and benefits at work can be gamified like completing Quarter I & II targets; the game room would get a new ping-pong table. Also, you can offer wellness experiences and vouchers as a list of employee benefits and perks to employees.

Dropbox calls itself a pretty sweet place to work because they offer a fully stuffed along with nap rooms, recliners, gaming consoles, and the like of it for their squad to blow off some steam.

14. Supplemental insurance

Let’s make something clear—employee’s health insurance is not supplemental insurance—but plans other than that are. For instance, spousal life insurance, electronics, pets, family, and extra coverage for employees with special needs would constitute a list of employee benefits and perks under supplemental insurance.

15. Banking at work

With the onset of internet banking, a bank window setup is a great low-cost investment to give free access to your employees. These employee perks and benefits make banking services easy as employees can check on mortgages, savings, checking accounts and plan their finances at lunchtime. Many banks even offer cash withdrawal services in-house or through ATMs fixed up in the cafeteria.

16. Work from home amenities

It’s the decade of remote work, and the demand for work-life balance calls for working from home when the parent has to take care of their child, or their parents, or any other case in point. Every organization is shifting to remote work flexibility for its employees to help them juggle their worldly and personal responsibilities.

76% of remote workers said fewer distractions when working from home, which increases productivity.

Work from home is still considered a substantial employee perk as its absence is more inconvenient than its presence. Remote working conditions prove crucial when employees want to transcend maternity and paternity leaves but can’t visit the workplace altogether.

17. Parental and caregiver leaves

As a caregiver, it’s not easy to manage taking care of older adults and to work simultaneously. For employees facing these tests in the walk of life, perks offering monthly caregiver leaves and parental leaves would really sway them away in the case of kids. Employees would be dedicated to not letting their productivity level get hampered if they are provided with relaxation in the form of employee perks and benefits like these.

18. Exchange volunteer hours for paid leaves

Giving back to the community is a responsibility that goes beyond CSR events. The best employee perk to strengthen your organization’s societal blueprint is exchanging volunteer hours with paid vacation leaves. This would encourage employees to get involved in CSR events, and HR can capitalize on it with schemes like payroll deductions towards a cause of their choice, giving them a chance to get in the field.

19. Team bonding events and face-offs

Nothing beats a tightly knit team of individuals turned coworkers turned friends. This is best achieved by regular team bonding events like paintball sessions, weekend cricket games, and monthly team lunches. Many prospects join organizations because of their chemistry.

20. Flash fitness sessions

Call up a fitness coach, yoga instructor, or sports mentor; everyone loves this one and host a fitness session. This perk is served best when added to the wellness program and done regularly. As for the participants, you can arrange for special employee perks and discounts for regular ones.

Google’s office in California is no less than a vacation spot, with the tech giant offering tours for as much as $5,000 per person (the proceeds go to charity), and the emphasis on daily Zumba and Yoga sessions is alarming. Did we tell you that they have an organic farm and a slide?

21. Quarterly picnics

Gather those big lunch boxes, prep up your signature dish, and get ready for the quarterly potluck retreat! Events like these are perfect for heading out into vacation homes, hill stations, and amusement parks.

These employee perks and benefits actually upscale the engagement levels as no extrinsic motivation can.

22. In-office baby-care perks

Let’s call this a kid-friendly block—a small, cozy room for prenatal mums and breastfeeding mommies to kindle their children’s needs.

A baby and her mother are inseparable for emotional and physical reasons for at least eight months after it’s born, and baby-care perks for newborns would make their lives a whole lot simpler.

Facebook offers $4,000 as baby cash for your new arrival in the house along with four months of paid parental leave (which Mark Zuckerberg has used himself), reimbursement for daycare, and adoption fees if that’s the case.

23. One-on-one mentorship program

Mentorship is more than just a superior-subordinate relationship. This dance between the sorcerer and their apprentice goes beyond the canvas of organization and personal goals as a mentor inculcates all their wisdom into the mentee’s thought process.

Get the senior peeps in your organization to sign up for the mentorship program and encourage them to sign up for it. You’ll be flabbergasted to see the growth curve of the mentees.

24. Four-day workweeks

This perk is indeed a performance-based one, wherein every month, a team of the month title would be presented, and the winning team will be given the next four weeks as a four-week workday—only if they can keep up the results and productivity. Light up the competitive flair and watch the results speak for themselves!

This concept came into light when Microsoft Japan increased their workforce’s productivity by 40% after giving FIVE consecutive Fridays off!

Many organizations have adopted the four-day work week, and in most cases, it has done pretty well with an asterisk of a dedicated workforce.

25. Employee stock options

Nothing gives the feeling of ownership more than owning a part of company stocks that you work with. Most employee stock options are distributed after employees complete a certain tenure and reach a given Deion. There are options to change the remuneration to salary + stock options.

The organization can offer employee stock ownership plans or employee stock purchase plans-- the difference being that stock ownership is given to the employees. In contrast, in the latter cases, one can purchase stocks at discounted prices.

26. Employee self-care perks

When remote work takes over, the mental and physical toll escalates—diminishing work-life balance, overwhelming work hours, and managing the home and work without any tangible distinction.

In these times, signing up your employees for a self-care package can make them feel at home in no time.

When the problems are overwhelming, and employees are just not engaged enough due to the circumstances, a package with some food, munchies, nifty gizmos, and stationery can light up their day and fix their mood for months to come.

27. Employee appreciation drives

Often done around Employee Appreciation Day, but ideally, employee appreciation drives lift the mood throughout the year. When it comes to a small text from colleagues or managers, it never fails to brighten up one's face.

Employee appreciation drives are best conducted on an employee engagement reward and recognition platform. Theappreciator can send over a cute wish with a little reward, which can be redeemed for a gift of the recipient’s choice from a catalog of options.

Here's your perfect employee perks program

Perks are the fuel that keeps your workforce running on boosters. However, an employee perks program must be exhaustively crafted so that no employee feels left out.

To keep it real, every employee must be given freedom of choice which can be obtained with Empuls' employee perks programs. With millions of options to suit every employee's choice for perks,  Empuls' is the only program you'll need for digital rewards, experiential gifts, and more.

This list lists the 25 best employee perks and benefits to offer your workforce. Perks are crucial in keeping your employees motivated and charged up for what lies ahead and making them feel at home. The correct implementation will definitely deliver astronomical results.

Happy engagement!