If you are an employer looking to incentivise your staff, you may be wondering how to offer the right perks without spending a whole lot of money. Sure, giving each member of staff a pay rise would be great, but it might not be financially feasible. Here, we look at a few cheaper options, which could really please your workforce – without putting you too far out of pocket:
#1 – Flexible working hours. There are so many benefits to offering a more flexible working day for your staff. For example, your staff can avoid rush hour, which can reduce their stress hours and considerably impact the productivity of their day. Balance Careers says that giving your staff flexible hours “…allows people to work when they accomplish most, feel freshest, and enjoy working. (eg. morning person vs. night person). Many managers feel that early birds are hard workers and night owls are slackers. There’s no evidence that that is the case—it’s simply cultural.” Studies have shown that giving staff flexible hours can actually reduce absenteeism in your place of work, too.
#2 – Free food. How about buying your staff lunch on a Friday, as a special treat? Small perks like this can really make the difference between a good employer and a great employer. It gives employees a reason to come in and stay for lunch, socialising with other employees rather than going off on their own. How about offering a free fruit basket in the week, too? Fruitful Office, who supply fruit to offices across the UK, say that there was an 11% increase in staff agreeing that their workplace “enabled them to work more productively” following the introduction of fruit to the workplace. It’s healthy too, which is a bonus for everyone.
#3 – Offer something wacky. How about offering staff something a little more unique? The company Transferwise offer a sauna for staff to use at lunchtime. UKFast gives one extra week paid leave when employees get married. Expedia gives employees a ‘Wellness Allowance” of anything between £400-£1200 to spend on fitness related items of their choice. Qubit offers weekly yoga, meditation and pilates classes. The company Mind Gym supplies employees with cocktails every Friday. What can you offer? How about starting a secret anonymous box where employees can put suggestions in each month of a perk which they would love. This means employees also feel they have control over their perks, another little ‘perk’ in itself!
Whatever you decide to offer your staff, keep it under review. It is a good idea to gauge a reaction for what you have offered, to see how well it is received. It is also wise to mix it up every now and again, to give staff the option to try something different, and to remind them that you care as an employer. You really don’t need to spend a lot to impress your staff and increase their productivity levels, making it a happier workforce all round.
