41 Perks at Work Ideas for Happy Employees in 2024

A cool job and a good salary only go so far in today’s market, but perks at work can be the cherry on top of an amazing career. Start-ups are known for generous paid time off (PTO) or flexible work hours, but big corporations are stepping up to the plate and offering much more than just a company picnic once a year. Not only do perks at work keep your current employees happy, they can also help to draw in new talent and showcase a fantastic company culture.

According to Harvard Business Review, benefits and perks at work are one of the main things that job seekers consider before accepting an offer. And with so many useful and creative ways to show appreciation to your employees, you have to offer some incentives to stay competitive.

You could conduct a survey and ask your employees what sort of perks at work they’d like to see. Or you could read on to answer the question, "What are work perks?" and "What are perks of a job?" as well as gaining insight on what employees value most. Discover more detailed employee perk programs or examples to get you started. 

Jump to Section

• What Are Perks at Work?
• What Are Benefits and How Do They Differ From Perks?
• How Perks at Work Help Work Culture
• Perks at Work for Foodies
• Best Lifestyle Perks at Work
• Best Health & Wellness Perks at Work
• Best Away From Office & Remote Perks at Work
• Best Financial Perks at Work
• Best Coupon & Discount Perks at Work
• Best Ideas for Celebrations at Work
• Best Gaming & Sport Perks at Work
• Best Family-Friendly Perks at Work
• Best Appreciation Ideas
• Best Employee Perks for Small Business
• Out of the Box Perks at Work Ideas

What Are Perks at Work?

Is a Salary A Perk?

Let’s be clear: perks at work are not the same as benefits, and an employee’s salary is not a perk. Outside of that, there are a lot of things that can be perks. Perks are non-cash extras that help to motivate and reward employees. They can range from discount codes to free snacks to an on-site gym.

However, incentives or bonuses usually involve cash and the terms are often used interchangeably, leading to a bit of a gray area. Either way, the overarching goal of perks at work and/or incentives is to improve the employee experience. 

What Do Employees Value the Most?

You can never please everyone, even with work freebies. It’s important to offer a range of things to incentivize and show appreciation for your team. What is the best employee perk? Free food or food discounts seem to be one of the more popular and universally loved perks at work.

The same goes with gym memberships whether providing a discount or full-coverage; even having a gym on-site works wonders for motivation. The other benefit to this perk at work is getting healthier and happier employees because exercise boosts your mood and improves your health states the Mayo Clinic. Read on to cover more perks at work ideas examples.

What Are Benefits and How Do They Differ From Perks?

While the name might be confusing, employee benefits are not the same as perks at work. To simplify, benefits are things that employees need to have, while perks are things that are nice to have.

Benefits are things like health and dental insurance, transportation reimbursement and maternity/paternity leave (among other things). Perks on the other hand can range from one-time free events to vouchers for food or a travel stipend. More on that later!

How Perks at Work Help Work Culture

Employees who feel appreciated are more likely to stay at their jobs and perform better than someone who has a less than satisfactory relationship with their company. A liveable salary and health benefits are expected for full-time employees, so adding perks at work can help your company stand out as a great place to work.

When work is an enjoyable place to be and employees feel seen, heard and valued, you’re more likely to get the best out of them. Plus, work-related stress and burnout can cost you and your company money in the long run with sick days, no-shows or just poor productivity. While some perks at work have an upfront cost, view it as an investment in your team and your company that will pay off.

Perks at Work for Foodies

1. Free Beverages

Coffee and tea in the break room isn’t going to cut it anymore, with pretty much every office from your dentist to the DMV offering free coffee and tea to patrons.

Stock your work fridge with soda, sparkling water and juice for a tasty and refreshing perk at work. This one doesn’t have to be too expensive either — make a run to Costco once a month and stock up on multi-packs of beverages to give workers a boost whenever they need it. 

You could also get a juicer and fresh fruit so for the more health-conscious employees. Or order organic, Fair-Trade coffee beans from a local roastery to support the community and show that you care. 

2. Unlimited Snacks

Just like an ice-cold La Croix can revive you in the midst of a hectic afternoon, a selection of snacks is a vastly underrated perk at work. It really is the little things that make employees feel considered and taken care of, and a selection of free snacks can be one of those things.

Depending on your budget, you can offer basics like popcorn, chips, nuts or granola bars to more extravagant things like See's Candies, Lindt truffles or luxurious gelato stocked in the freezer.

3. Provide Breakfast

It doesn’t have to be much, but thinking of some office breakfast ideas to provide is a really considerate perk at work, especially if the day starts early. Stocking the fridge with hard-boiled eggs and yogurt as well as providing bagels, oatmeal and bread for toasting will make sure employees are fueled and ready for the day.

Best Lifestyle Perks at Work

4. Self-Improvement Opportunities

There are a few practical ways to support your team in their mission of self-improvement, and these can double as some nice perks at work, too. First, stocking your own library full of books on a variety of topics from business to psychology or home improvement allows and encourages employees to spend time learning new things.

You can open it up to have your team donate or lend books to the library to keep the shelves full and the topics varied. Covering expenses for employees to attend conferences or speaker series’ is another, slightly more expensive way to encourage learning and growth in the workplace.

5. Mentor Program

This particular perk at work idea for employees doesn’t have to cost money at all. By setting up a mentor system within your company, you can allow employees to learn and grow with someone to guide them. This is particularly beneficial in large corporations or between sister organizations.

6. Time Saving Services

With or without a discount on services, offering them in a convenient location to do some of those pesky home admin activities is a big time-saver and a great perk at work.

Things like dry cleaning, car wash/detailing or even haircuts show employees that you are aware of their other chores and responsibilities. Offering a discount or just making these services as accessible as possible (like at the office) is a huge help. 

Best Health & Wellness Perks at Work

7. Gym Membership

Not only is discounting or fully covering your employee’s gym membership an amazing perk at work, it has the added benefit of boosting their health and productivity.

If you’re a remote company or don’t have the space for a gym on-site, helping your employees stay healthy outside the office pays dividends inside when they have better focus and overall mood.

8. Gym On-Site

Giving a discount on a gym membership is one thing, but having a gym on-site takes this perk at work to the next level. An early morning workout before the day starts is sure to put employees in a good mood by boosting their endorphins. The option for a mid-day walk or quick workout is a great boost heading into the afternoon as well. 

9. Workout Classes

If the above two options aren’t feasible for you and your company, you can still offer some health and wellness perks at work to your team by planning outings or hiring workout teachers.

A company-wide hot yoga flow is a fun team building activity in Austin or team building activity in Denver, plus it reduces stress levels. A 5k every quarter is a fun event to look forward to and can double as a fundraiser for a good cause. 

10. Walking Meetings

This is one of those perks at work that isn’t feasible for all offices or companies, but if you have the space, it’s amazing. Walking meetings is a great way to switch up the scenery for your staff, not to mention that moving around has been shown to help your brain work better says IE University. For those meetings that don’t require a presentation, group walk and talks around a track indoors or outdoors is a nice change of pace. 

Best Away From Office & Remote Perks at Work

11. Comfy Office Furniture

What perks do you need to work efficiently? A comfortable environment, to start with. It’s one thing to provide standing desks or ergonomic chairs in the office, but you can really stand out with your perks at work by providing a stipend for remote workers to purchase comfortable office furniture for their home office.

Supportive desks or chairs as well as adequate lighting is an office perk that you notice more so when it’s lacking. Providing additional perks for office essentials like internet or computers is always welcome. 

12. Monthly Meet Ups

If your office is 100% remote, it can get lonely for employees. While there are lots of great perks at work for remote workers, sometimes getting together in-person feels like the reward.

Make this optional so no one feels obligated, but offering monthly or quarterly “in-person” days at a local WeWork or coffee shop can help foster better workplace relationships, not to mention it can be a nice change of scenery. 

13. Music Streaming Subscription

While you can easily set a nice tone in an office setting, it’s great to offer the same perks at work to those who work from home. Gift your employees with a free music subscription that gives them access to educational podcasts and motivational music or even just calming background noise to help them focus at home. 

Best Financial Perks at Work

14. Tuition Reimbursement

Even if your company doesn’t require a certain level of education, offering tuition reimbursement is one of the nicest perks at work for growing professionals.

This is one of those employee perk programs that lessens the financial burden of going back to school, and you just might find yourself with a highly accomplished and satisfied staff.  

15. Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPP)

Giving your team the chance to buy stocks first, or at a lower rate is a really nice perk at work that can have an incredible financial payoff in the future. Especially if you are a privately traded company with plans to go public, ESPPs are a great way to reward and incentivize your team simultaneously. 

16. Tax Services

This is one of those practical perks at work that might not sound glamorous but adds convenience when it comes to tax season. Offering a discount by partnering with a local accounting firm or an online service could take the effort out of this meticulous task.

If you can’t take any money off the fee of hiring an accountant, bringing in a tax expert to meet with employees during tax season is a huge help on a tedious chore.

Best Coupon & Discount Perks at Work

17. Food Delivery Discounts

This is the next best thing in terms of perks at work if you’re unable to provide a cafeteria or catered lunch for employees. Discounts on food delivery services to the workplace make it easier and more affordable for your team to get a good lunch or breakfast delivered. This can save them time and money so they can be fueled and ready for the day.

18. Transportation Discounts

Whether it's for local, public transportation or discounts for rental cars, hotels or airline tickets, transportation discounts are one of the more practical perks at work. Especially if travel is required as part of the scope of your employee's role, making it less expensive and overall less of a hassle makes the whole experience more enjoyable. This can also apply to partial reimbursement for gas or a discount on electric vehicles. 

19. Internet & Technology Discounts

This is a great perk at work if phone or internet usage is required as part of the job for remote workers. Offering a discount on these services is a much-appreciated perk at work. Offering a company phone is great, if you can swing it, but a discount on your employee's everyday phone or internet package goes pretty far. 

20. Clothing Discounts or Stipend

Dressing for success is important in the business world, and offering discounts or a stipend for a new work wardrobe is one of those underrated perks at work that really comes in handy.

This takes the pressure off of new hires or seasoned employees from having to use their own resources to upgrade their wardrobe, especially if there is a certain dress code.  

Best Ideas for Celebrations at Work

21. Monthly Birthday Parties

If you run a large company and can't celebrate every single birthday, you could combine birthdays and have one large party every month. Not only do monthly birthday parties celebrate the birthday guys and gals, it gives everyone something to look forward to. It's a fun perk to make your team feel celebrated. Your office becomes like a second family in many ways, and this is one of those perks at work that just feels special. 

22. Birthday PTO

There’s no bigger bummer than having your birthday fall on a Monday or Tuesday. Giving employees the day off for their birthday, or even the option to leave early, is a great way to let them celebrate. This is one of the more modern perks at work, but it sure is appreciated. 

If you provide birthday PTO, make sure its part of company policy so that employees don't feel bad or anxious about taking the day off. 

23. Event Tickets

Being able to treat some or all of your employees with tickets to the big game or a concert in town makes for incredible perks at work. Larger corporations sometimes have boxes at local venues that they can then treat upper-level or high-achieving employees to whatever event is in town.

But even without a box, getting a handful of tickets, even nosebleeds, makes a great gift for a performance or a work anniversary.

24. Company Gatherings

This broad category of perks at work is a fun way to boost morale. Whether it’s holiday parties, launch parties or a casual company cook-out, offering free food and entertainment will encourage your team to show up and get to know one another in a more casual setting.

Cocktail parties or happy hours count too. This can be in celebration of a holiday or achievement, or just in the name of bonding and camaraderie. Whatever type of gathering you choose, these can be a great place for team building activities in NYC, team building activities in Houston, team building activities in Atlanta or team building activities in San Francisco (to name a few). 

Best Gaming & Sport Perks at Work

25. Office Gaming

Depending on your office type and what your company does, there are a few ways to incorporate office games into your list of perks at work. The beloved foosball table will never go out of style, while ping pong is sure to boost office camaraderie. Just make sure it's not in an open plan office because the noise could get to some more auditorially sensitive employees or those that work in customer relations and have to talk often to angry customers.

This is a great way for employees to blow off steam and bond with one another when they have a few minutes to spare. You can go so far as to include a golf simulator, a video game room or a bunch or board games. 

26. Intramural Sports

This perk at work can be very low cost but a great way to encourage employees to get to know one another. Intramural sports leagues that meet outside work hours are super fun and encourage physical activity and bonding, plus they afford the opportunity for a little light-hearted competition.

Playground favorites like dodgeball and flag football are always fun, but sand volleyball or even a weekly golf league or a run club can work.  

27. Fantasy Sports

Once a year, every year, fantasy football sweeps the nation and brings excitement and anticipation to many. Get in on the fun and curate a company-wide fantasy league whether that’s fantasy football or making March Madness brackets.

This is a free or very-low cost perk at work that encourages some friendly competition and strategizing. Just make sure there is no gambling going on as it may not be legal to advance this type of competition. 

Best Family-Friendly Perks at Work

28. Pet-Friendly Workplace

Make coming into the office a little more fun by making it a pet-friendly workplace. You don’t have to incluce this perk for every day of the year, even just once a week is enough for you to see the benefits.

Not only do pets always make people smile, it’s a nice way to remove the burden of doggy daycare on your employees. It’s sort of like the new version of Casual Friday.

29. Puppy Leave

Just like maternity and paternity leave, offering a couple of weeks of time off or ultra-flexible work hours for new dog parents is one of the best perks at work. Adding a new furry member to the family can be hard on your sleep schedule, but having a workplace that is understanding can lessen the load. Plus, this one really makes employees feel cared for in a super practical way. 

30. Daycare On-Site

Remember take your kid to work day? Well, on-site daycare is all the convenience with none of the distractions. For working parents, not having to make an extra stop before and after work is a huge time saver.

If you have space in your office building for a daycare, this is one of those perks at work that makes a huge difference in employee satisfaction. If your office space can’t accommodate a daycare, offering discounts at certain convenient daycare locations is the next best thing.

31. Nursing Rooms

On top of maternity and paternity leave, offering nursing rooms is one of those perks at work that can make a huge difference for moms returning to the office after having a baby. Giving them a clean, quiet and relaxing space that isn’t the bathroom to nurse or pump is one of those modern workplace must-haves.

32. Park or Museum Passes

Show your appreciation for the parents and encourage family outings by offering free park or museum passes to employees. These perks at work make it easy for parents and kids to go enjoy their community in their spare time and are sort of like getting a gift card to the museum.  

Best Appreciation Ideas

33. Employee of the Month Program

You can add other incentives to your employee of the month program to sweeten the deal. 

This employee perk program is great motivation to hit certain metrics for your team. Apart from a parking spot, hotel or weekend trip giveaways or two Fridays off in a month sure sounds like a great way to bring out the best in your team.

34. Employee of the Month Parking

Their picture on the wall isn’t enough to recognize your employee of the month anymore. This might sound silly, but in a big office building with a hectic parking lot, that VIP parking space can be a hot commodity. Offering front-row parking is one of the more useful perks at work.

35. Custom Gear

As a thoughtful and useful thank you that counts as one of the more useful perks at work, offering customized gear to high-achievers is always appreciated.

Whether that’s a fleece or jacket with the company logo to keep employees warm when the AC is cranked, or an insulated Yeti or tumbler that keeps their coffee warm all day long, these appreciation gifts are some of the most well-used and loved. 

Best Employee Perks for Small Business

36. Lunch With the CEO

Offering monthly lunches with the CEO is one of those great perks at work, especially for small businesses, or larger businesses with highly influencial leaders. This keeps your organization feeling tight and offers employees from all tiers the chance to get to know and interact with the CEO in a friendly, low-pressure way.

The added bonus from this is that employees tend to feel more comfortable voicing ideas or concerns to the CEO or upper-level management after building a rapport this way.

37. Happy Hours

Big companies with big budgets can rent out entire restaurants, but even just an intimate happy hour at the office with a few coworkers can feel like a nice perk at work. Once a month or once a quarter, organizing an early evening on the town which can be a fun way to encourage employees to take a step back, de-stress and get to know their co-workers.

If the budget is tight, there are lots of ways around spanding huge amounts of money on booze. You could cap orders at one drink per person and pre-order snacks and appetizers to share. This is a cozy employee perk for a small company because it feels more like a dinner with friends than a massive company-wide mixer. 

38. Volunteer Days

Encourage your team members to give back to their community with designated time off for volunteering each year. You can make it a company wide experience, or simply offer a few days each year for employees to use at their own favorite charitable organization. This doesn’t affect their PTO, but is specifically for volunteering.

Out of the Box Perks at Work Ideas

39. Fertility Assistance

Take health care a step further with one of the more out-of-the-box perks at work: fertility assistance. Whether that’s family planning with contraceptives or IVF support and funds, this kind of care can be expensive even with insurance, making it more of a burden than it should be on some people.

Offering a stipend can help to ease the stress and financial burden, and make employees feel supported through their journey to grow or maintain their family structure.

40. Nap Rooms

This perk at work idea brings it full circle back to pre-K where mandated nap time was a thing. Depending on your industry and hours, some companies have started offering rest rooms or pods to give employees a chance to take a rest without needing to go home.

Obviously, napping on the clock isn’t encouraged, but if you work for a massive tech firm and find yourself at the office 90+ hours a week, the chance to rest your eyes for 30 minutes sounds pretty nice.

41. Meditation Room

Not all too different from a nap room, meditation rooms are one of the more unique perks at work. A clean, quiet space to take a moment to relax and recharge in the middle of a hectic work day sounds pretty appealing.

Add plants and dim the lighting, ideally in a cool shade and maybe even some spa music or the sound of a babbling brook… Taking 10 or so minutes to clear your head and reset allows you to be more productive and decisive after.

Company budget is likely to be the biggest consideration when choosing perks at work that are feasible for your organization. It’s more about making your team feel supported and appreciated than the monetary value of something.

Even if your organization can’t cover a high cost, offering events or discounts or ease of access to certain services makes life easier for your employees. While it’s true that many of these perks at work have a cost associated with them, it’s important to bear in mind the long-term benefits that offset the up-front costs. From improved employee to retention to better workplace satisfaction, consider it investing in your team and your company.

For even more engaging team building ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!