The amount of companies listing roles with on the job perks increased by 6 percent between the first and third quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year, and by a massive 135 percent compared to the same period five years ago.
These findings are a result of new statistics recently released by Jobs.ie. A job ‘perk’ is separate to a job ‘benefit’, like pension contribution or annual leave. Instead, a job ‘perk’ is usually included as part of a salary, and are provided on daily or regular basis to encourage creativity and productivity.
The findings from Jobs.ie show that roles offering perks such as free lunch, Friday beers, ‘bring your dog to work’ policies and gym membership are on the rise. Jobs.ie believe that the increasing trend in job perks shows that companies are putting employees at the heart of their business.
Christopher Paye, general manager at Jobs.ie states, “Ireland is hungry for talent, particularly in emerging industries like tech and financial services. Professionals are free to shop around for the best employment package, and on-the-job perks can help sway them one way or the other. Perks are no longer the exclusive remit of American multinationals.
“In addition to competitive salaries and benefits, like annual leave and health insurance, many Irish companies are prioritising their employees’ happiness by providing catered meals, gym membership and team bonding events. To a prospective hire, this shows a commitment to culture and a positive working environment.”
Mr. Paye added, “As employers’ demand more from their employees in terms of hours worked and always-on availability, perks also help to reduce stress and offset personal costs, particularly food spend. In the long-term, this encourages loyalty and improves employee retention. Likewise, as the office perk culture become commonplace, employees will increasingly come to expect it from their employer. Companies that don’t take this on-board risk losing out in the war for talent.”