eal allowance, extra time for parental leave, having the day off on your birthday or even some flexibility in working hours. These are the most common benefits that companies have in their portfolio, but there are those who go further and build a completely different benefit plan. Original, personalised, unusual and sometimes even bizarre. All of it with one goal: to captivate potential employees, retain current ones and make them remember the company.
In fact, who wouldn't remember a company offering a suitcase with tens of thousands of dollars in cash? To top it off, the bills are wrapped in slices of bacon. Or the company that hires you and then proposes to give you five thousand dollars if you want to say goodbye?
In fact, who wouldn't remember a company offering a suitcase with tens of thousands of dollars in cash? To top it off, the bills are wrapped in slices of bacon. Or the company that hires you and then proposes to give you five thousand dollars if you want to say goodbye?
Coverflex went looking for the most original benefits offered by companies all over the world. Discover the seven we selected (and get ready to be surprises):
1. Contract termination papers and $5,000 in your pocket
The proposal may seem counterproductive, but Chris Ronzio, CEO and founder of Trainual, a SaaS company that helps small businesses to onboard new employees, believes that offering an amount of money just two weeks after their employees start working there helps to find and retain top talent while maintaining a strong company culture. What about you? Would you accept the check or would the proposal be a way to sharpen your will and enthusiasm to continue to be part of the project in which you are involved?
2. Pet daycare
The Portuguese company Barkyn grants a food and daycare allowance for the dogs of its employees. The company's employees thus receive additional support with the monthly feed of their dogs and, also, with specialised daycare centres where they can leave their pets while they are at the office. In addition, the startup was the first in Portugal to implement a paid “parental leave” for employees who welcome a new dog into their lives, a policy that also includes one day of paid leave in the event of the animal’s death.
3. Paid vacation (literally)
Can you imagine if your company, in addition to vacation days, also gave you a check to spend on planes and hotels? Bamboo HR has such a vacation policy. Thanks to “The Paid Paid Vacation”, the organisation offers an annual grant of around $2,000 to its employees. This salary bonus can only be used for holiday expenses such as accommodation and travel.
4. Cash wrapped in... bacon
Scopely won the prize for the most unlikely, bizarre and, at the same time, weird benefits package. For a while, the Los Angeles company offered its employees a briefcase that contained $11,000 in cash. But there's more: the bills were wrapped in slices of bacon. The pack also had a complete tailor-made suit, cigars and an oil painting of the employee.
5. The famous power nap
Some studies have shown the benefits of taking a short nap - for 15 to 20 minutes - during the day and then resuming tasks with greater concentration and focus. And there are companies that already offer employees a room so they can relax and recharge before resuming their daily duties. Amerisleep and Thrive Global are among the few that have already created nap rooms in their offices. The mattress company encourages employees to take a nap when necessary and the company in the media area offers a room with nap “capsules”, as well as massage sessions.
6. Refer a friend, get a bonus
There are companies where employees can play an active role in recruiting new team members, and even be rewarded for doing so. Employees are invited to refer a friend for an open position in the company and, if their guess is correct, and the person hired, they receive a monetary bonus. At ITSector, suggesting a friend's name can give you a bonus of one thousand euros.
7. From casual friday to naked friday
It's perhaps one of the most bizarre perks ever, but a company in the UK developed an experiment where employees worked naked on Fridays. The idea behind naked Fridays was to remove inhibitions and encourage more honest and transparent communication. The experience was filmed and gave rise to a television show, “The Naked Office”.
