Which Perks Really Interest Employees?

Research shows a significant mismatch between what employees want and what employers think they want.

In a poll by recruitment firm Robert Half of the most desired perks, the top five were:

• More annual leave (40%)
• More flexible working hours (28%)
• Training or professional development (16%)
• Home-working/telecommuting (12%)
• Corporate services such as ironing services or fitness centre (3%).

The findings are in contrast to the views of employers, who believed that the number one perk for their staff was flexible working hours. This was cited by 56% of finance directors surveyed by Robert Half – exactly twice the proportion of employees who actually want flexibility.

Less than 23% of CFOs believed that extra holidays would top employees’ wish lists, while 9% thought employees would rather work from home and 5% thought employees would like more corporate services. CFOs misjudged the number of employees interested in extra training, guessing that only 8% would like to get involved.

“It’s tempting in our ‘always-on’ economy to let the lines between home life and work become blurred, but it’s worth remembering that to maintain a productive and loyal workforce, employers need to give their staff the opportunity to switch off and recharge.  Offering extra time off over the holidays will mean that employees return with higher levels of motivation and morale in January,” said Phil Sheridan, Managing Director at Robert Half UK.