5 outrageous employee benefits offered by global companies

Companies of all sizes strive to go above and beyond with their employee benefits packages to make their staff feel happy, healthy and rewarded. But some companies have mega-sized budgets which allows them to go to extraordinary lengths to make employees feel valued.

This article looks at five exceptional employee benefits provided to staff by Google, Netflix and three other corporate behemoths. We also suggest cheaper, more attainable alternatives for smaller businesses and start-ups.

Get ready to take notes and get creative with your workplace perks!

Need help creating a perfect employee benefits scheme for your business and staff? Get in touch with our friendly award-winning team of brokers on 01273 222805 or drop us an email at [email protected].

 

1. Google’s rooftop running track and half-Olympic sized pool

First on our list definitely deserves to be here! It’s Google’s 150-metre running circuit situated on the top of their Kings Cross London HQ building.

Yes, you read that right! Google’s office boasts a rooftop running track, a built-in half Olympic-sized swimming pool, a basketball court, five-a-side football pitch, tennis court, and a multi-use games area. Nicknamed the ‘landscaper’, this huge £1 billion campus has been created as the perfect workspace for Google’s UK employees, providing something for everyone when it comes to physical wellbeing. Staff can clock up the mileage without even having to leave the building, all the while overlooking Kings Cross station.

The alternative?

No smaller businesses will be able to afford something this outrageous! But a more realistic alternative, is to offer staff gym memberships and discounts. This can be provided as a standalone product, through salary sacrifice schemes, alongside Business Health Insurance, or included in a Health Cash Plan.

 

2. Patagonia’s on-site child care and family support

Another big name with fantastic benefits is US retailer Patagonia. The company has taken things to a new level when it comes to child care and family support services. Founder Yvon Choinard and his wife Malinda strived to provide full support to their staff members who were starting families or already had families to look out for. They wanted to “respond to what humans need, including a place to nurse newborns, and later, to provide safe and stimulating child care.”

This is expressed perfectly through their onsite child support programme at their headquarters in Ventura and its distribution centre in Reno. Children are looked after by specialist teachers trained in child development and facilities include outdoor play areas and a farmer’s market. Time is also carved out for parents to spend time with their children, establishing a healthy work-life balance.

And the proof is in the statistics. Of women who have had children at Patagonia over the past five years, 100% of them have returned to work. This is significantly higher than the 79% average in the U.S.

The alternative?

Introducing an element of flexible working is the next best thing for smaller businesses. If employees can work hours around their childcare duties, it can help them juggle their work and family commitments in a more balanced way. Flexible hours can also be combined with remote working for the greatest possible impact. Clearly, it’s not available to all businesses, but allowing an element of flexibility in where and when employees work as they raise children. Even one or two days a week can make a big difference for some.

Do you find employee benefits and health insurance schemes frustratingly complex? Glide through the jargon and get FREE straightforward advice from the friendly team at Hooray. Call 01273 222805 or email [email protected].

 

3. TransferWise’s annual all-expenses-paid company holidays

Next up, we’ve taken a look at TransferWise – a financial company for people that travel, live, and work internationally. So, it’s no surprise that they offer some great travel perks to their staff as well!

TransferWise offers generous holiday and family leave entitlements, plus allows staff to travel between offices and work wherever they want in the world for 90 days a year.

To accompany this, TransferWise has also previously taken staff away on annual, all-expenses-paid company holidays to boost morale, team spirit, and further show their appreciation.

The alternative?

On a smaller scale you can still reward your staff with fun group team-building activities, perhaps somewhere locally rather than the other side of the world! You can also consider setting up regular fun team events outside of the office which could include simple things like taking staff out for lunch. You could also consider forming a weekly/monthly pub quiz team!

 

4. Airbnb’s $2000 (£1,413) offer for staff to travel and see the world

Similar to TransferWise’s holiday rewards, Airbnb also offer their employees a travel stipend paid out quarterly to let staff stay at any Airbnb listing in the world. Airbnb will pay out $2000 (£1,413) to their employees to make the most of their paid time off from work. At the same time, it gives staff a chance to use the product they work for and engage with the host community.

The alternative?

This depends on what kind of product or service you offer. Can you offer a benefit related to your product? For example, as a health insurance and employee benefits broker, it’s only right that the whole team gets private health coverage!

 

5. Netflix’s Family Forming & Reproductive Support

Last but not least on our list of extraordinary employee benefits, we have Netflix and their Family Forming & Reproductive Support services. Netflix offers this as a global family-forming benefit to support employees during fertility, surrogacy and adoption journeys. It’s available to staff and their spouse/domestic partner, regardless of marital status, gender, or sexual orientation – making it accessible to all.

The services are streamlined through the global fertility care platform, Carrot, and it covers global costs for reproductive services including travel.

The alternative?

Alternatively, there are many cheaper ways to support the physical health of your staff and provide them with access to extra support services along the way. One way is by offering Health Cash Plans which include a wide range of health and wellbeing support, sometimes including fertility advice and related support services.

Read here for more inspiring ideas: Inspiration station! 10 UK tech companies offering wonderful workplace perks.

 

Create your own fantastic benefits scheme on a smaller budget

Even the smallest companies can take inspiration from what the largest corporate companies are doing. You too can get creative with workplace perks and truly make a difference to your employees’ lives.

So, how do you do it? Our friendly and award-winning team are here to help. We gather the best quotes from across the UK healthcare market and offer FREE advice and support to start-ups and SMEs looking to launch their employee benefits or review a scheme.

Give us a call on 01273 222805 or email [email protected].