Workplace
Perks are the new raise
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.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Amazon's 'James Bond' deal could mean a new future for 007
In the Spotlight The franchise was previously owned by the Broccoli family
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans suddenly panicking about DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Trump and Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government, a growing number of Republicans worry that the massive cuts are hitting a little too close to home
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is JD Vance's Net Worth?
In Depth The vice president is rich, but not nearly as wealthy as his boss and many of his boss' appointees
By David Faris Published