The 20 Best Employee Benefits & Perks You Wish You Had
Sure, you might be mostly happy with your 9-5 job's decent pay, gym discount, and helpful transit subsidy. And free food from your restaurant job is a perk, right? But have you even dared to wonder what kinds of fabulous benefits other people are enjoying in their jobs at top-rated companies? Well, if you're OK with being utterly consumed with envy, Glassdoor has released its new list of the top perks and benefits, and they're pretty damn great.
The list features benefits from 20 companies, which Glassdoor said are continually raising the bar when it comes to attracting talent with unique perks beyond occasional catered lunches. The ranking includes benefits like free meals, acupuncture, and improv classes at Twitter. Meanwhile, Burton employees enjoy such things as free ski passes for "snow days" and Facebook employees are given $4,000 in “Baby Cash” when they pop out a kid. And you thought your company's new 401k plan was cool...
Unsurprisingly, close to 3 in 5 (57%) of people surveyed by Glassdoor said perks and benefits are up there among the top things they consider before taking a job offer, and as many as 4 in 5 people said they'd take great new perks over a pay raise, according to the site. You can check out the full list below, and get additional details over at Glassdoor.
20. Google provides the surviving spouse or partner of a deceased employee 50% of their salary for the next ten years.
19. Zillow pays for employees who are traveling to ship their breast milk.
18. Asana employees have access to executive and life coaching services outside of the company.
17. Adobe shuts down the entire company for one week in December and one week over the summer.
16. Epic Systems Corporation offers employees a paid four-week sabbatical to pursue their creative talents after 5 years at the company.
15. Evernote hosts classes through "Evernote Academy," which offers team-building courses like macaroon baking.
14. Facebook provides $4,000 in “Baby Cash” to employees with a newborn.
13. Walt Disney Company wants its employees to enjoy the “Happiest Place on Earth” as much as their visitors by offering free admission to its parks for employees, plus their friends and family, as well as discounts on hotels and merchandise.
12. Accenture covers gender reassignment for their employees as part of their commitment to LGBTQ rights and diversity.
11. Twitter is well-known for providing perks such as three catered meals a day, but some lesser-known benefits include on-site acupuncture and improv classes.
10. Twilio offers employees a Kindle plus $30 a month to purchase books.
9. Burton employees receive season ski passes and “snow days” to hit the slopes after a big snowfall.
8. Pinterest provides a unique take on the parental leave policy by providing four paid months off, plus an additional month of part-time hours, as well as two counseling sessions to create a plan to re-enter the workplace.
7. PwC offers its employees $1,200 per year for student loan debt reimbursement.
6. Airbnb, the Best Place to Work in 2016, gives its employees an annual stipend of $2,000 to travel and stay in an Airbnb listing anywhere in the world.
5. World Wildlife Fund employees take Friday off every other week, also known as “Panda Fridays” at the nonprofit.
4. Spotify provides six months of paid parental leave, plus one month of flexible work options for parents returning to the office. The company also covers costs for egg freezing and fertility assistance.
3. Salesforce employees receive six days of paid volunteer time off a year, and if they use all six, they receive a $1,000 grant to donate to a charity of their choice.
2. REI encourages its employees to get outside by offering two paid days off, called “Yay Days,” a year to enjoy their favorite outside activity.
1. Netflix offers one paid year of maternity and paternity leave to new parents. They also allow parents to return part-time or full-time and take time off as needed throughout the year.
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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and would love a daily catered meals perk. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.