Company culture and employee perks have a significant impact on the well-being and attitude of your current and future employees. It’s not a surprise that happy employees are more focused, dedicated and productive workers.
So how can you achieve this without spending a fortune? We’ve got 10 out-of-the-box, low-cost perks your team will love:
1. Take a Break: Set up a designated quiet room for employees to take 10-minute relaxation breaks. Provide mats for yoga and meditation. Or take tips from Groupon and Zappos and buy a massage chair. Employees will come back to their desk revitalized and ready to dive in.
2. Make It Mobile: Encourage employees to take mobile meetings. Here at Limeade, walking meetings are a staple, and the occasional running meeting has been known to happen (tip: bring a change of clothes!). If you’re feeling adventurous, check out Google’s seven-person conference bike, which builds trust while collaborating.
3. Get Outdoors: Take advantage of the nice weather months and schedule company events outside. Company hikes and picnics are a favorite at Limeade. To promote soaking up a daily dose of Vitamin D, create outdoor work areas equipped with tables and chairs to allow employees to get work done outside.
4. Work Hard, Play Hard: Create healthy co-worker competition by integrating games into the office. Playful exercises build relationships, increase motivation and relieve stress. Our favorite game at Limeade is 2 on 2 basketball. If you drop by Limeade, don’t be surprised to see our CEO, Henry Albrecht, dunking on a fellow employee!
5. Laugh It Up: Everyone loves a good laugh. By releasing those feel good endorphins, laughing has a positive impact on our healthy by strengthening the immune system, reducing levels of stress and boosting productivity. Join companies like Zappos that offer laughter yoga classes and let those endorphins fly!
6. Walk It Out: Keep workers moving with a treadmill desk. A 2014 study shows that treadmill desks boost health, fine motor skills and productivity, allowing employees to out-perform their sedentary colleagues. It’s no surprise that our treadmill and bike desks at Limeade are always in constant motion.
7. Welcome the Woof: It’s a known fact that pets make us happier, even in the workplace. Designate pooch-friendly days for employees to bring their dog to work. Dogs in the office reduce stress for their owners and make work more satisfying for other employees. Amazon and Google are a few companies who encourage canine colleagues.
8. Cut ‘Em Some Slack: Reward employees who walk or bike to work by allowing them to arrive 10-minutes late and leave 10-minutes early.
9. Fifth Friday Fun: Celebrate months with five Fridays. They only happen a few times a year, so when they happen make it a special occasion to show gratitude to your employees. Close the office early and treat employees to a company-wide event like bowling, karaoke or a dinner. If employees can’t get enough of the Friday fun, make it a weekly celebration just like Dropbox’s Whiskey Fridays.
10. Work From Home: Give employees the option to work from home one day a week. Employees who telecommute reported improvements in stress levels, morale and productivity. Our marketing team at Limeade works from home every Thursday, and we definitely concur with those findings!