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How does a full-body massage sound as an on-the-job perk? Or how about a mid-day ride on a Jet Ski? You think there's no such thing as a free lunch? If you worked at LowerMyBills.com, you'd get breakfast, lunch and dinner for free.
Today, you can expect the usual benefits, like a healthcare plan and maybe tuition reimbursement, but that might be just the beginning. Companies now offer innovative, or downright over-the-top, benefits to their workers. The trend is especially prevalent among companies trying to attract and retain technology professionals. Take a look at these fringe benefits:
LowerMyBills.com
LowerMyBills.com takes its benefits seriously. With headquarters in North Hollywood, California, the company offers a perk that's quintessentially California -- full body massages, from a professional masseuse, every Wednesday. "It's a wonderful, feel-good benefit that relieves a lot of tension on a stressful day," says Gregg Steiner, director of public relations. As if that's not enough, LowerMyBills.com provides free meals to employees. "People work more," Steiner notes, "so it's really cost effective." (Employees order the meals from local restaurants.) Thursday's the day for free car washes, while every Friday there's a beer bash. The company will pay for your cab if you've had too many "but that never happens," says Steiner. Valet parking is available every day, as is a rec room with Ping-Pong, darts, and comfy couches. Steiner's top perk? The meals. "It saves so much time, and a lot of money, if you add up how much you'd spend."
BizLand.com
At BizLand.com, which provides Web site hosting for small businesses, every employee receives a monthly "fun budget" of $15 to buy toys for the office. Some of the purchases, like a mini-lacrosse set, have led to workers challenging each other to hallway matches. The office (in Burlington, Massachusetts) now has remote-control cars, inflatable furniture, and Nerf toys of all kinds. Tricia O'Neil, the company's marketing manager (and a former college lacrosse player), purchased the lacrosse set. "I love lacrosse, and our hallways at BizLand.com make a perfect playing field," she says. "I can teach others the basics of lacrosse, have a little break, and improve my agility with a little pick-up game." If you're named the Employee of the Quarter, you'll get some other benefits, too. A couple of the rewards have been an in-house chef to cook one meal a week for one month and a day at spa for two.
AuthenTec
These days, it's not unusual for employees to show up at work in shorts and sandals. But AuthenTec has taken "casual" to a new level. One of their perks is surprise Jet Ski "decompression therapy," as they call it. AuthenTec, a maker of fingerprint recognition technology, is located in a six-story building on the Indian River Lagoon in Melbourne, Florida. The company has a corporate account with the operator of a Jet Ski outfit on the lagoon. For an hour each week, every employee gets to take out a Jet Ski. Is this a draw for potential employees? "We certainly mention it," notes Kurt Kyvik, director of marketing communications.
MarketSoft
Lynne Petit works in dual capacities an MarketSoft. Her primary role… engineer and manager of technical documentation. Her other role…FunMaster. As FunMaster, Petit coordinates the wild array of leisure activities available to MarketSoft employees. After a product launch last summer, the whole company took a trip on a 83-foot sailboat out of Newport, Rhode Island. (The company is located in Lexington, Massachusetts.) "It was just after our first product launch, and we needed some way to celebrate," says Petit. The company sent its entire engineering department, along with spouses and children, on a 5-day trip to Antigua. The marketing team will be heading to Barcelona, with trips for other departments in the works, too. The perks help with recruitment, no doubt. One hire was told about the Antigua trip in an interview. "If you join," he was told, "you'd be more than welcome." He was at the company for three days before hopping on a plane to Antigua. As if that's not enough, the kitchen is stocked with everything from beer to Klondike bars, and a game room offers pool, Ping-Pong and foosball, along with a 36-inch TV with a DVD player. Once a month, employees head out of the office for a movie and lunch. All of this means Petit's got a challenge. She is often asked after an event, "How are you going to top that one?"
CheckFree
CheckFree, which offers online bill payment, isn't located in a typical office building in the suburbs. The company's campus, just outside of Atlanta, is located on a 50-acre setting with the feel of a nature preserve, complete with running trails and the occasional deer sighting. One of its unique features is Club Hootch, an employee lounge overlooking the Chattahoochie River and other CheckFree facilities, like a pool and hot tub. Other amenities of the campus include a full service hotel, fitness facility and bowling alley. For sports fanatics, you couldn't ask for more, as the campus even has a racquetball court and an indoor basketball court, with an electronic scoreboard. As for food, meals are subsidized, with breakfast and lunch for $2 per day.
