We’ve all heard of trendy perks like office kegs and ping pong tables. As cool as these can be, they’re almost expected in many modern workplaces these days, and aren’t necessarily an indicator of a good company culture. Try browsing the culture page of any tech startup or advertising agency and not see photos of their staff holding a beer in one hand and paddleboard in the other. It’s like a requirement these days, or something.
Some companies, however, are thinking outside of the box. Think being able to take time off to welcome home a new fur baby, or being paid to cross something off of their bucket lists. Here are some perks to bring up to your boss at your next office yoga class.
Paternity Leave For Pet Owners
Sure, there are plenty of companies out there that need to make significant changes to their maternity and paternity leave policies. But, one company, mParticle, has gone a step further and implemented a paid ‘pawternity’ leave policy. This Manhattan-based data platform provider is giving employees two weeks to bond with their newly adopted rescue dog.
Death Benefits At Google
Who says that workplace perks need to kick in while you’re, you know, still alive? Google has some pretty unusual death benefits that could even excite an Addams family member. One of these workplace perks will pay the deceased’s spouse or domestic partner half of their salary for 10 years following their death. Another will provide each of the deceased’s children with $1,000 monthly until they turn 19 years old — or 23 years old, if they’re full-time students.
A $1,500 To Try Something New
For many, having a full-time job can make it difficult to cross some items off your bucket list. That’s not the case for employees at Qualtrics. This international customer, employee, brand and product experience software provider gives employees $1,500 to try a new experience.
This could include anything from working with the underprivileged in Romania to deep-sea diving to simply getting some career help via online classes. The perk launched this past January, and was available for full-time employees who had been at the company for at least a year. There’s no evaluation of the experience, and all workers need to do is let HR know what they’re doing. The downside is that the time spent away on the experience is deducted from an employee’s vacation time, though.
Unlimited Vacation Time
Some companies, however, don’t have a definition of vacation time. Unlimited vacation time is becoming more commonplace, such as for companies like Netflix. The streaming service allows employees to choose how many days they take off each year. This could be anywhere from three days (please don’t let this be you — take time off!) to two months. In a work culture where workers aren’t utilizing their full PTO for some R&R, this is a great incentive to finally take a vacation and help recharge their batteries. Come on, guys, it’s necessary!
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