To have any chance of long term business success it is important to have a team of happy and committed employees, so what perks can businesses introduce to boost staff productivity?
1) Games of “Team Breakout”
The idea is to encourage teamwork and plenty of bonding, but more often than not they turn out to be a tad lame and awkward. However, you might find value in taking your teams to one of the growing number of “escape rooms” that are cropping up across the UK.
In a nutshell, teams of five or six are given one hour to solve an array of riddles and puzzles in order to break out of a locked room. These can be genuinely taxing but fun at the same time, and teamwork is essential.
2) Health-boosting apples
Research undertaken by Fruitful Office showed that providing employees with fresh fruit can result in a 10 per cent increase in productivity.
However, you don’t have to be an expert nutritionist to know that healthy staff who have a balanced diet are less likely to call in sick and will generally have higher energy levels than those who gorge on junk. It’s easy to see why so many businesses offer free fruit as an employee perk.
3) Stand-up desks
More businesses are introducing stand-up desks into their offices to relieve some of the strain on those who don’t like to be sat down all day. Installing stand-up desks can ensure your staff remain productive and free from back and neck injuries. Another win-win situation.
4) Personal training sessions
According to the Centre for Economic and Business Research, long-term sickness absence costs UK businesses £4.17 billion a year. Around a quarter of this figure can be attributed to absences caused by mental illnesses.
Regular exercise can help to prevent this. While free or discounted gym memberships are always a strong option, sometimes you need to give your employees a bit of guidance. As they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Hiring a personal trainer to devise routines for your staff could be a more effective employee perk.
5) Complimentary acupuncture sessions
Onsite acupuncture sessions are one of the quirkier employee benefits you’ll find, but if they’re good enough for Twitter, then who’s to say your staff won’t lap them up?
Evidence suggests that this unorthodox form of treatment can help to ease neck and lower back pain, headaches and even toothache. Remember, healthy employees are productive employees.
6) Domino’s pizzas
Because who doesn’t like pizza, right? Making use of Domino’s renowned ‘Two for Tuesday’ deal, you can treat your staff to many a free lunch over the course of the year. It’s only a really small perk, but if your staff are generally happy in other areas of their role, little things like this can provide the cherry atop your glorious employee engagement cake.
