The Office Amenities Employees Really Want

Companies around the world are finding it difficult to find and retain top talent. Let’s face it, the current state of the job market is geared toward employees. They now have the chance to choose where and when they work, with many opting to work from home.

However, what would happen if a company decided to try something a bit different? What would attract the best job candidates and help lower employee turnover rates?

It was once enough to offer a great benefits package, free beer at work, and more. However, employees no longer find these amenities valuable or even useful. So, what are they looking for when it comes to amenities at the office?

We’ve put together a list of amenities that are currently trending with employees around the world! Some of these may seem surprising, but they make a lot of sense and provide that extra value your employees need right now.

1). Employee Concierge Services

Consider the life of an average employee. They usually have a family, which includes a significant other and one or more kids, and pets. This average employee is a very busy person. From early morning until 10 pm or later, they’re going strong. What type of amenity would this person find valuable? What about an employee concierge service?

An employee concierge service is also sometimes referred to as a corporate concierge or an office concierge. The service is funded by the employer and provided as a benefit to the employee. The goal of this type of service is to make an employee’s life easier and help save them time.

Some of the most popular employee concierge services include:

• Shopping
• Auto services
• Courier services
• Food services
• Information research
• Dry cleaning
• Gift services (no more last-minute shopping for their significant other!)
• Travel/event planning
• And more

The key is to offer services that most employees will use. These services should relieve some of the life pressures employees feel when faced with a long to-do list of tasks (not related to work). A single mother would love some help with grocery shopping, for instance. This would be a great service for other employees, too!

It’s even possible to make some employee concierge services digital, which means they’re made available through an app. This could include meals delivered, courier services, and more.

Who wouldn’t love to have a personal concierge service to help manage their day?

2). Allowing Personal Side Projects

Another amenity that employees often value is the chance to work on personal side projects. In most companies, there is simply not enough time and resources to make this type of project possible. However, what would happen if a company chose to allow employees to work on their personal side projects?

One large company has done this. Google allows employees to use about 20% of their work time for their personal side projects. The company has chosen to support employee endeavours by supporting these projects. The outcome has been an increased bottom line and innovative products for the company. One such side project resulted in Gmail.

Employees thrive when they can work on passion projects like this. Not only do the employees thrive, but the company also benefits from increased productivity, innovation, and more.

3). Employee Wellness Programs

Wellness at work has become a very crucial concept in the workplace. Businesses are finally starting to wake up to the fact that employees are affected by their work environment. When they sit and work in a dark, dingy office all day, it can affect their mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. The result is usually a stressed, depressed employee with no hope and no reason to thrive. This doesn’t help your employee or your business.

With the growing awareness of wellness in the workplace, businesses are starting to consider more than having an onsite gym at work. Instead, the focus is on the employee’s overall wellness.

An employee wellness program can include many types of services such as:

Paramedical services: can include massage therapy at work, yoga classes, naps (with space set aside for this purpose), assistance programs (for those who suffer from anxiety, substance abuse, stress, and depression), and more.

Office nurse or health care personnel: having onsite medical assistance can be a huge help for employees. Larger companies may even be able to set up a full health care centre for their staff. And consider the benefits for those who deal with chronic health issues. Having access to onsite medical services could drastically improve their lives, too. Having such a service can reduce absenteeism and result in healthier employees. It can also lower health care claim costs.

Classes: fitness classes remain an important part of these programs, as well. They can include an onsite gym with the addition of yoga classes and more.

4). Employee High Tech Perks

More employees than ever are savvy tech users. And what do employees like this appreciate the most? Access to the latest tech!

Companies are choosing a range of cutting-edge tech for home or office use, then making this available to their employees. Some businesses choose to offer high tech by making them freely available to staff, while others offer a monthly salary payment over a set period to pay for the gizmos and more.

In the office, many employees are also looking for high-tech options.  They would like access to wireless charging, augmented & virtual reality, and more.

The company can benefit, too, by offering these high-tech perks. Employees who have access to cutting-edge tech can become even more innovative in their work. What’s more, employees are able to stay up to date on the latest tech offerings. The result can be not only increased innovation but also a company’s bottom line.

Concluding Thoughts

If businesses want to attract and retain the best employees, they must be willing to offer amenities that are needed and valued by their staff. This is the crucial key to finding those amenities that are the most useful and valued by employees.

The best mix of perks are amenities that help employees and the company at the same time.

At all of our office locations throughout Leeds we have made sure you have all that you and your business needs.