Workplace

As the downturn threatens to squelch employee morale, some companies are betting that little perks can make a big difference, said Sue Shellenbarger in The Wall Street Journal. Corporations as diverse as Discovery Communications, Intel, and USAA have rolled out such new benefits as onsite child care, concierge services, and free massages. Such perks may seem extravagant during lean times, but employers say it’s a way to keep top talent happy. “While such benefits cost relatively little, they pack a big emotional wallop.”

In fact, the most effective perks aren’t always the priciest, said Carlos Bergfeld and Princess Calabrese in BNET.com. “Studies show that cash incentives don’t stick in an employee’s mind: Most folks use the money to pay bills and later forget where it went.” Instead, L.A.-based public relations firm JS Communications gives employees two free “I Don’t Want to Get Out of Bed” days. Colorado’s New Belgium Brewery, best known for its flagship Fat Tire ale, celebrates employees’ one-year anniversaries by giving them custom bicycles. “It’s a couple hundred dollars for the bike,” says the company’s media director Bryan Simpson. “But it means so much more.”

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