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TRENDS
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Powerful
Perks for a Job Well Done
By Laurie Burstein
With a general slowdown in the economy, lavish employee perks like
unlimited expense accounts, extravagant office bashes, and luxury
company cars have gone by the wayside for many. Instead, many St.
Louis companies are providing benefits that don’t necessarily cost
the company more dollars, but still reward employees. These perks
go beyond the standard medical plans and vacation benefits, and
show some creative thinking on the part of the companies who offer
them.
“In today’s world where work puts so many demands on an employee’s
time, we offer a variety of special benefits to help us assist in
attracting and retaining the best people,” says Dan Harrison, managing
director for Weber Shandwick Worldwide in St. Louis. Weber Shandwick
is an international public relations firm based in Minneapolis,
with 30 employees in the St. Louis office located downtown. “In
offering these extra benefits, we try to strike an appropriate balance
between the needs of our employees, our clients, and our business,”
he says.
One of the “extras” Harrison is referring to is a new program for
sabbatical leave. This program entitles employees who have been
with the company for five years a paid sabbatical for six weeks
to simply take a break. Employees have to go through an application
process and must schedule the sabbatical at a time that is mutually
convenient. Weber Shandwick also has a new Boarding Pass Program
that provides an opportunity to work and experience life in one
of the company’s locations around the world such as Asia, Europe
and Latin America.
Harrison adds, “Cash rewards are important, but there has to be
more. Rewards and recognition today take many forms.” Harrison says
the company also offers flex time, paid maternity and paternity
leave, and summer Fridays where employees can take two days off
during the summer in addition to vacation time.
Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is another large, international company
with offices in St. Louis that offers a huge array of benefits and
perks for its employees. The work-life balance program of the company
takes into account that many of the employees travel. One of the
more impressive perks is a concierge service called “Circles.” For
a minimal fee, the service will handle all kinds of personal errands
such as watering plants, picking up dry cleaning, buying gifts,
and more.
One Cap Gemini Ernst & Young employee who has used the Circles program
extensively is Suzanne Graf. Graf is a senior consultant for the
firm and travels as much as 80 to 90 percent of the time. In fact,
she was in Peru for a six-month project and was back in St. Louis
just a few days before giving a baby shower. She had the Circles
service help with much of the party planning including providing
game ideas.
In addition, Graf uses the service to research everything from the
best restaurants and health clubs in various cities where she will
travel, to finding out where to take a GMAT course and find volunteer
opportunities in St. Louis. Graf can call an 800 number or go online
and fill out an order form with her request. Usually the request
is filled in one-to-three days. “I have a very demanding work schedule
with a lot of travel. By using the Circles program, it gives me
a few extra hours to do the things I want to do when I’m home for
such a limited time. It’s a great lifestyle tool.”
Lori Foster, a human resources representative for Cap Gemini Ernst
& Young here, says the company’s 270 employees in St. Louis like
to take advantage of the firm’s perks. “Many of our employees travel
a great deal and the company recognizes that can be a challenge
to life balance. In order to attract and retain good people, we
offer many special benefits such as discounts on a variety of products
and services.”
Foster says a very popular program is the Nissan/Infiniti discount
program where employees can purchase a car for dealer cost plus
a 2.5 percent delivery fee. The firm also has discount arrangements
for employees with Sam’s Club, cellular phone companies, health
clubs, computer suppliers such as Dell and CompUSA, clothing retailers
like The Gap and Old Navy, mortgage companies, and even offers employees
discounts on General Electric appliances as well as gardening supplies.
St. Louis-based Enterprise Rent-A-Car is another company that offers
great benefits and discount arrangements for its employees. As you
might expect, Enterprise employees and family members get a 50 percent
discount on renting a car and a significant discount on buying or
leasing a car. Enterprise also has relationships with top retailers
to offer employees discounts on a variety of products and services.
In addition, Enterprise helps employees improve the balance between
home and work. A program called Life Matters is a referral and resource
program that provides information, detailed research and ideas to
employees and their families in areas such as childcare options,
eldercare, adoption, and school age information on nursery schools,
camp options and financial aid. Enterprise offers daycare discounts
at several childcare facilities across the U.S.
Life Matters also provides employees with special needs information
such as therapy and support groups, pet care and tips on balancing
work and life. Another program is ChoiceTime and provides paid days
off for full-time employees in addition to holidays and vacation
days.
Big companies like the ones mentioned above certainly offer great
benefits, but what about small companies? One example is St. Louis-based
Paradowski Graphic Design. With just 17 employees, the 24-year-old
firm offers its staff benefits and perks perhaps they might not
find at a huge corporation.
Nila Paradowski, managing partner, recalls an employee who needed
money in hurry for a down payment on a house. The employee was going
to borrow from a 401(k), but the money wouldn’t be available in
time. Paradowski and her husband, Alex, the company president, decided
the company would loan the money to the employee until they could
pay it back.
Paradowski proudly says that her company pays 100 percent of healthcare
benefits for its employees in a time when many medium and larger
companies require employees to pay a portion of their own benefits.
“As a small company, we are able to offer things you might not find
at a big company. It’s another way we can compete with larger companies
in terms of benefits and flexibility. Besides, if you work for a
living, it should be fun,” she says.
Other perks found at Paradowski include a gift certificate to Syndey
Street Café for all employees on their birthdays, and “Grill Days”
on Fridays where employees take turns cooking lunch for everyone.
In addition, the entire office took off on a Friday in September
to go camping at Meramec State Park with spouses and children. Adding
to the family friendly atmosphere, staffers can occasionally bring
their children to work as in the case of an employee whose child
brought toys and videos to play in the conference room for a week
between camp and the start of school.
As more companies have gotten family-friendly, several in St. Louis
offer a special benefit that one might not expect—financial aid
for adoption. The St. Louis-based architecture firm, HOK, was among
the first companies of its size to provide adoption assistance benefits,
implementing the program in 1998. At that time, only 23 percent
of 1,000 large companies offered employees financial assistance
for adoption. HOK offers $2,500 on a pre-tax basis that can be used
for anything from legal fees to travel expenses. Enterprise and
Cap Gemini Ernst & Young have similar programs.
Companies of all sizes are providing spontaneous perks that aren’t
part of a formal program. Solace Spa at WellBridge has seen an increase
in requests for massage therapists to go to companies such as the
law firm of Bryan Cave. A conference room was set up at the firm
with soft music and candles where several therapists provided chair
massage to more than 60 attorneys and other staff members throughout
the day. “More and more employers are realizing the wellness benefits
of chair massage in the workplace. Stress relief is a great perk
for employers wanting to show their appreciation,” says Andree Sanders,
spa director at Solace Spa.
These powerful perks come in many forms and are a great way for
employers to reward their staff, and make sure they attract and
keep the best and brightest people.
Laurie Burstein is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer
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