These days, anyone who can get a job right out of college is one of a select, lucky few. However, if they can manage to get a job with one of these companies, they’ve truly hit the jackpot.
Facebook: In addition to free food and a fun and relaxed work environment complete with gaming tables, it also provides free laundry services, leather repair and photo processing for its employees.
Zynga: Gaming company Zynga not only allows but encourages employees to bring their dogs to work. Other awesome perks include free massages, acupuncture and haircuts, as well as an onsite gym, plenty of arcade games and a pub.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn’s perks focus on healthy living. They offer an onsite gym, running trails, morning boot camps, afternoon yoga and pilates. Chair massages are also available, and there’s a beanbag chair lounge to relax in as well. There are also plenty of opportunities to play games with your fellow employees, including foosball, ping-pong, team soccer, team softball, “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band”.
Chesapeake Energy Corp: Chesapeake has perhaps the most unique perk of all. The natural gas company offers its employees discounted scuba classes and, once certified, employees can go on a company scuba trip to Cozumel, Mexico. Other perks include yoga classes and cooking demonstrations.
Microsoft: Microsoft focuses more on practical perks like healthcare, but it also has plenty of other perks, among them being ping-pong tables and bottomless soda. Another helpful perk is the Microsoft Commons, which is essentially an on-site shopping mall where you can buy everything you could possibly need, including groceries, and even take care of banking. Another fun perk is the Microsoft Prime Card, which entitles the holder to a variety of discounts both online and with local retailers.
Foursquare: Even more exciting to some than free food, Foursquare offers its employees free beer. In addition, its employees enjoy discounted gym membership, a casual dress code, gaming tables, a catered lunch a few times a week and unlimited sick and vacation days.
Evernote: A software company called Evernote takes it a step further than Foursquare, not only offering unlimited vacation days, but also compensating employees with $1,000 in spending money to encourage them to take a week-long vacation at least once a year. Another uncommon but incredible perk is free professional house cleaning twice a month.
Jetsetter: Travel company Jetsetter offers employees a happy hour, gaming tables, and allowance for hotels and a tab at the local coffee shop.
Google leads the way in cool perks for employees. Its offices alone are motivation to work there. For example, their headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. include a bowling alley and their offices in Boulder, Calif. have a rock-climbing wall. Other offices come equipped with fireman poles or slides. Google explains their affinity for fun work environments by saying, “Our offices and cafes are designed to encourage interactions between Googlers within and across teams, and to spark conversation about work as well as play.” Other perks include three free meals a day and unlimited snacks in the cafeteria, on-site doctors, laundry service, free haircuts, subsidized massages and a ball pit. Employees can also take their dogs to work. All this combines to make Google our top pick for excellent perks.
Clearly, some companies know how to treat their employees. Most of us can only hope to be so lucky as to work for such a company someday.
