The Perks of Small Business

I have a bee in my bonnet about employee perks. Maybe it hearkens back to my pre-entrepreneurial days, during the dot-com boom, when it seemed like every internet startup in town was furnishing their office with the requisite foosball table, fridges full of caffeinated drinks, and a couch where employees could crash during all-night coding marathons.
Somehow, none of those things ever seemed like a perk to me. The caffeine and couches felt like flimsy compensation – and encouragement – for the crazy amounts of overtime employees were expected to work. (These were the days when a group of high-tech industry leaders campaigned successfully for an exemption to BC’s labour laws so that they wouldn’t be bound by the same standards other companies must follow with regard to overtime tracking and compensation.) And foosball has never been my preferred method of letting off steam. (If I’m honest, foosball always felt like a dude thing – and more specifically, a young, childless dude thing. And although there are lots of young, childless dudes in the tech industry, those of us who don’t fit that mode need perks, too.)

Now, I’m certain there are lots of people for whom a foosball table in the workplace is a source of great joy and a catalyst for office camaraderie. It’s just that I have a thing for, you know, leaving the office to have fun. I prefer to get out for a breath of fresh air, or go grab a few drinks with my colleagues.

Don’t get me wrong – I think there’s room for fun in the workplace, too. I just think fun doesn’t need extra square footage on the rent bill – nor does it need to be earned with long hours. When I was working for other people, I always felt I’d rather have a few extra bucks on my paycheque that I could spend on my favourite pursuits, rather than a playspace at the office. So when it came time to dream up perks for my staff, I kept them pragmatic, and tried to make them as broadly appealing as possible. 

I doubt many people would consider a monthly transit pass to be as fun as a foosball table, but for our company, providing our staff with free transportation to & from work is both a nice way to save everyone a bit of spending money, and a practical step towards reducing our business’s carbon footprint. When there’s profit to spare, we give out cash bonuses (and on one memorable occasion, iPhones all around – we justified them as tools of the trade, but they’re hella fun). And we endeavour to keep good dark chocolate in the office at all times. (I guess that’s our caffeine vehicle of choice.)

But I think the biggest perk we offer is our no-overtime rule. It’s highly unconventional in our industry, but we believe that when everyone gets to go home at five and keep their weekends for themselves and their families, they’re happier and more productive. And that’s good business.

I’d love to hear from you about your favourite perks, both as employers and employees. What makes for a good perk? What little extras make all the difference? And where could that money be better spent?