The Best Office Perks
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One small California software firm puts the "paid" in "paid vacation" -- employees get a cash bonus for using up all their vacation days, and even get money to help plan their trip.
Some employers offer several thousand dollars in interest-free loans for continuing education -- which many will forgive completely after a year or two if workers don't jump ship and take their degree elsewhere.
While free tuition's great, one Philadelphia-area defense contractor goes a step further -- not only do employees get forgivable tuition loans, they earn an hour of paid time off for every classroom hour. Why couldn't college have been more like this?
Break-room bagels are great, but one company has a free fruit and snack cart that employees -- even top execs -- take turns pushing around the office every afternoon, delivering goodies and getting to know other departments.
Nobody likes the rush-hour commute, so one small Philadelphia media company washes all the cars in the company lot each Tuesday as a way of thanking employees for making the daily trek. It almost makes up for the East Coast traffic.
For couples that want to adopt kids instead of have their own, some companies let parents-to-be take time off just like they were on maternity or paternity leaves -- often at full pay.
Some fitness-minded companies have done away with the corporate bonding of "sharing circles" and into-the-woods retreats. Instead, they're building camaraderie by fielding amateur sports teams -- chipping in for fees and uniforms while making time for training.
One real-estate investment group rewards its employees -- who often stay late and come in on weekends -- with tickets to hard-to-get-into concerts like Dave Matthews Band or Bruce Springsteen.
It used to be that college professors were the only ones who got to take sabbaticals, but some companies are loosening the reins and letting employees take several months at partial pay to recharge their batteries, continue their education, or build new skill sets.
When workers at a New York non-profit were feeling shaken-up after 9/11, the company offered holistic medicine and chiropractic benefits to help staffers get back on their feet and feel better about working in a battered city.
While some workplaces push wellness by offering gym memberships and weight-loss programs, others actually put a gym in the office -- letting employees get fit during lunch or before work.
Even for the most civic-minded workers, a long day at work can cut into a passion to tutor underprivileged kids. One Washington company gives workers credits for volunteer hours -- like working at a soup kitchen or training for a charity marathon -- which they can redeem for extra vacation days.
