So far we've got:
- good chairs
- you can get whatever monitor you want
- you can get good headphones
- you can subscribe to music services
What other perks have you really enjoyed at your job? Or otherwise made life good.
If you want to make me really happy as an employee, just assume that I'll probably be leaving one day to do my own startup, and give me a helping hand along the way. Good examples might be public recognition of really good work (e.g. in company blog posts), introducing me to people, and giving me the opportunity to learn about things I'm not already an expert at.
- Quiet.
- No funny looks if I want to work from 5am - 3pm
Prefer table tennis to foosball. Would rather have a "music room" instead of either, but that's a bit much to ask for.
Obvious? Maybe. But I've worked for, and observed, too many small companies in which either a co-founder founder ends up doing office-manager crap or it gets offloaded onto the first tech employee who's convenient. It should not be the tech staff's job to restock the fridge, replace office supplies, handle invoicing, pay the rent, ...
Beyond those two, I've really come to appreciate a comfortable working environment. In my case, that means having an office that is up to date, relatively few stains on the carpet, working infrastructure in conference rooms (I'm always shocked how many people have to deal with broken plugs, barely function Polycoms, etc).
Edit - I used to work for a company that offered a daily lunch budget, on the condition that it be delivered. You were free to eat anywhere you wanted, but realistically, you stayed in/around the building.
In the event that you had to stay after-hours, you were alloted a dinner budget to order in with everyone that had to stay.
Also, we had fresh fruit delivered as needed and Monday/Wednesday/Friday, fresh bagels and pastries were delivered.
We worked our butts off, knowing we didn't have to go home and make dinner/do groceries.
This was over in Denmark...I've only worked for one company in North America with as awesome a setup.
Implementing any of the above would probably go a long way.
Actually, I worked at a team that refused to stock anything but water. My boss felt that the walk to a coffee place was more valuable to your creativity than staying at your desk.
I agree, but sometimes you are just thirsty. So we've got an office where stuff is walkable as well as stocked beverages.
I avoid high-fructose corn syrup, for example, but I still like soda. At the two places I've worked at that supplied free drinks, when I brought this up I was "politely" told "well, something is better than nothing, isn't it?" No, it isn't.
1. Transparency. When you're open with every member of the company about what's really going on, it decreases gossip and improves morale.
2. If your company has direct interaction with customers, a company culture that gives every employee the authority to make whatever decisions are necessary to make the customer happy is invaluable - no "You'll need to talk to a supervisor." (I read an article about a largish company that operates this way, but I can't recall which one it was. I want to say Zappos.)
Also, free soda.
I like the idea of direct interaction but it's too early for us (no product yet.)
PERSONAL PARKING SPACE - I know this is really not doable in most circumstances, but I HATE coming to work a few minutes late and not having any place to park.
FLEX TIME - Some companies have flex time where you can work lots of extra hours this week and next so that you could take a few days of next month.
Whatever you do for perks, I think it is vital to make your employees feel appreciated. Sometimes just telling them 'great job' on stuff can go a long way.
Just another thought, how about asking your employees what perks (within reason) they would like. Ask what would make them excited to come to work and not want to leave.
But in all honesty, a good chair, a nice monitor/mouse/keyboard combo, a good set of headphones and a window are all I need to code.
you do your job, you get to take time off as you need/want.
Do it once in awhile during office hours helps a lot. As much as I love my co workers, somedays I hated spending time with them all day, and then sort of feeling forced to hang out with them after work or else feel like not being part of the team.
I know that this isn't exactly what you were asking for, but when the work is interesting, it's amazing how little else you notice. And when the work is boring, nothing else seems to help.
OK, OK, let me add a few perks I care about:
- windows
- good light
- fresh air, proper venilation / heat / ac
- enough personal space
- peace and quiet
- decent break area
- decent snacks/coffee available
- donuts Friday morning
- beer after work Friday
- flex time
- nice dinner once/month or quarter
- foosball (conflicts with peace and quiet, but...)
For the other things, we hit almost ALL of those. Nice, spacious space in Mountain View, near lots of restaurants. Our office manager bakes cookies for us, gets snacks, and drinks are provided (everybody had to sign up for the beverages they specifically liked) etc.
Also depending on who works there Legos or some other childhood toys to allow for creative times away from the computer.
"every Matasano employee has an Amazon account for which they can buy any book they want ever"