Have you been bragging to anyone who will listen about how your office just upgraded to a (wait for it) Nespresso machine? Were you allowed to watch the World Cup games from the comfort of your work desk? Do you have an extra day of vacation after a few years of hard work? Big deal. We were feeling a little masochistic and decided to do some research on companies who treat their employees way better than we’ve ever been treated, which made us feel predictably sad and envious. Below are a few companies that offer employee perks so amazing that you’ll feel like a lowly proletariat the next time you scurry to the kitchen like a lottery winner to eat the morning meeting’s leftover cheese and grapes.
1.) Google
Google, the messiah of employee perks, makes it so that once you’ve entered the “Googleplex” you never actually need to leave, which frankly, is a little (or a lot) scary. After receiving a free ride to work, you’re treated to free meals, nap pods, on-site doctors and haircuts, a gym, laundry, massage parlors and on-site daycare. As if that wasn’t generous enough, the company not only allows, but encourages, employees to spend 20 percent of company time on pet projects. You also have unlimited sick days, health insurance for unmarried couples and if you go for a snooze in a nap pod and never wake up, Google will pay your spouse half your salary for the next decade after your death.
2.) AFAR Media
AFAR Media is a relatively new media company that publishes a magazine on travel that’s chock-full of branded content and first-person traveling accounts. In fact, the investors are so passionate about seeing the world that if you work for AFAR, they give you a $2,000 expense account to travel each year. The only catch? You have to go somewhere you’ve never been before. So, no, springing for a plane ticket home for Thanksgiving doesn’t count.
3.) Deloitte
Deloitte is a financial services company that wants its employees to be interesting and well-traveled folks, with more to talk about than just audits and risk management. So much so that it offers one-month unpaid sabbaticals and three to six month sabbaticals at 40 percent of their annual income.
4.) WWF
In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the World Wildlife Federation has what it calls Panda Fridays. Two Fridays out of the month, the organization goes dark, and employees are encouraged to pursue any other interest they choose. The WWF says this helps save electricity and eliminates a day of commuting, but probably (absolutely) increases Thirsty Thursday D.C. bar traffic.
5.) Asana
Asana, a project management software company, has taken its name (Sanskrit for “sit down”) to heart and offers its employees yoga classes and massages. In addition, the company whips up twice daily home-cooked organic meals and gifts each employee a $10,000 expense account for the office setup of their dreams.
6.) Facebook
Not to be outdone by Google, the social-media mammoth offers employees many of the same perks, which means if you work there, there’s virtually no reason to actually leave (frightening). There’s free food, free bikes to pedal around the gated city-like work space, free computer-accessory vending machines, an onsite barbershop and a classic video arcade.
7.) Clif Bar
Employees of the popular energy treat Clif Bar enjoy surprisingly good perks. There’s onsite concierge services, a flexible schedule that allows for employees to earn a Friday off if they rack up 80 hours in nine days, almost $1,000 a year in rewards if you walk, bike or use alternative transportation to get to work and the same amount to decorate your home with eco-friendly accessories.
8.) Moz
Travel junkies take note: Moz.com, a marketing and SEO software company, is following in AFAR’s footprints and offers its employees a whopping $3,000 to help enjoy their 21 vacation days. But, unlike AFAR, you can totally use that three grand to go someplace you’ve been before.
9.) Boogie
If by Wednesday morning the sight of your fluorescent-lit office makes a swim off the Brooklyn Bridge look inviting, than Boogie, a small social-media agency, might be the place for you. Boogie employs a four-day work week and two-hour lunch break model, which means employees work from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., are off until 3 p.m. and then are free to go home at 7 p.m. The office is closed on Wednesdays, ensuring Boogie employees never work more than two consecutive days.
10.) Dropbox
The popular digital-sharing service recommends all employees jet around the office on their very own complimentary Razor scooter — it’s so much faster than walking. The company also offers yoga classes (must be a California thing), all-you-can-eat customized food stations and recommends meetings take place in music rooms, complete with instruments and lounge-like furniture. Melissa Noble is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
