Why it pays to go the extra mile

What do you look for in an employer? Good company ethics? Free gym membership? Casual Fridays with cocktails?

Whatever you expect, fair and just staff conditions are a must. This means a solid contract, a fair wage and reasonable holiday and time-off entitlements as a minimum standard.

At the beginning of October, global heavyweight Amazon began paying staff in the US and UK a living wage. More than 350,000 employees in the US will see their salary increase, while the 40,000-strong UK workforce will see their hourly rate boosted.

Let’s take a look at some of the other big names in business who go above and beyond for their staff.

Google

Google offers a range of benefits to its employees across the globe, such as free gourmet food, unrivalled maternity and paternity benefits, health and medical services, financial advice and free fitness classes.

The best bit? Some Google offices allow employees to bring their pets to work. There’s nothing better than a cuddle with a Collie when a day in the office turns stressful.

If the winds of change are boosting employee perks, it must be a breeze to work in the Google HR department.

Apple

HR heroes are well versed on how important it is to understand the personal needs of staff – meeting them is a sure-fire way to boost productivity and keep everyone happy, from the top down.

Another tech giant, Apple is renowned for its positive and bespoke approach to staff. It offers a variety of flexible benefits packages employees can choose from, depending on their individual needs.

Expedia

As well as travel discounts, Expedia provides staff benefits such as charitable gift matching, sabbaticals, stock purchasing options and performance bonuses.

But beyond this it also offers health and dental insurance, legal assistance and mental health support.

These are examples of going the extra mile and reflect the fact companies often have to deal with personal problems and issues that staff face.

HR pros who are dedicated to the social, physical and mental wellbeing of their employees are setting the bar high.

If you’re keen to work for forward-thinking companies, you can find all the latest vacancies on jobs24.com

Posted on November 20, 2018