How to attract and motivate employee using non-wage benefits?

Money isn't everything

Statistics show that 35% of Polish people find fringe benefits as important as money. Numbers don't lie but point a crucial matter that cannot be forgotten if you want to be relevant when it comes to employers market. Non-wage benefits can be a real employee magnet. For the current team, it can be an excellent perk. In the following article, I will point out some benefits by an example of our company.

Workplace as a second home

Can you treat a workplace as a benefit? Insane? It might seem strange, but the place we work (and spend the most of the day) can be an awesome bonus. According to OECD, the statistical Pole worked for 1963 hours last year. 1963 hours! In the case of IT industry, this time is usually spent four walls of office around. Providing the best possible office conditions should be the primary focus of the company's owner. At Merixstudio we plumped for spacious, air-conditioned spaces with a lot of facilities. Plenty of conference rooms, places where employees who need peace and quiet to work as well as the chill room - these are only a few of facilities I meant.

How to make your #mondaymorning a bit better? Work from the comfort of many beanbag chairs scattered around the office! You can also flex your pecs to make yourself feel like the boss that you are;) #monday #working #coworking #comfyoffice #office #officelife #happyoffice #colleagues #softwarhouse #webdev #webdeveloper #poznan #merixstudio

Post udostępniony przez MERIXSTUDIO (@merixstudio) 12 Cze, 2017 o 12:42 PDT

The modern office itself wouldn't be the benefit without a well-equipped workstation. The adopted to the requirements computer, two screens as well as peripherals necessary for the work - all this is waiting on the adjustable standing desk so everyone could work as they like the most. We don't forget about ergonomics, so the footstool and wrist rest is the standard at Merixstudio.

What if someone wants to keep irregular hours or work from home? It's not a problem at our company. We can take advantage of flexible working hours and endless remote working mode. We believe that our team knows at what time they are the most productive. We're no stranger to work-life balance.

Feed the personal growth

The personal development is crucial for the employees. Of course, day-to-day work, as well as exciting projects, are aspects that affect the team's growth. However, additional assist in broadening their knowledge is the role of the employer. At Merixstudio we chose both internal and external workshops. Every team of Merixstudio organise their meetings that are cyclic. They are an occasion to share knowledge and experience of the latest delivered digital projects as well as tech news.

And that's a proper way to start a day on Friday! #friday #fridaymorning #casualfriday #chill #chilloffice #meeting #office #officelife #webdev #webdeveloper #softwarehouse #poznan #merixstudio

Post udostępniony przez MERIXSTUDIO (@merixstudio) 23 Cze, 2017 o 1:12 PDT

Also, we all have our own training budget. The money can be spent in the whole year on any workshop or conference we want. So, each Merix folk can go for some course, event or a language course if they want to improve their language skills. On the latter point, we also offer a free English lessons conducted by the native speaker. The team is divided into groups with diverse levels, so everybody's fit.

Feed the body

Sports cards took the third place in popularity ranking in 2014 - 45,7 percent of businesses chose them as a benefit. A year later it took the second place, and in 2016 it was 46,1 percent of companies that bet on cards for sports, and that way it became number one among employee benefits. Statics show that this is the trend which will be continued in the future. So, sports cards are something worth implementing if you don't want to stay behind your competitors. In fact, pass to the gym or swimming pool is a mutual benefit, because the employee who plays sports is usually healthier one. I believe I don't have to point out all of the advantages of having healthy and strong team :)

When it comes to sports, Merixstudio really appreciates that kind of pastime. Moreover, we established Merixstudio Running Team. Our running folks got branded tees and can take part in running events for free because the firm pays their registrations.

What else can you offer to your employees? In my company, these are fresh fruits several times a week or unlimited amount of cereal (#lifehack: the cornflakes are good not only for breakfast!).

Feed the spirit

You're working on a challenging project and need a little break? Here you go - you can sit on cosy, pulpy chair or cool beanbag chair and read a book. Are you looking for a bit of competition? What about PlayStation FIFA or Mortal Kombat game? There's also something for fans of old school style - the arcade game with lots of vintage games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Street Fighter. However, if you're not a fan of electronic kind of fun, there's also a foosball table.

Oh boy oh boy, it's finally here! Our arcade game is in the office and let's be clear- IT WILL impact our productivity today:) surprise #arcade #arcadegame #fun #funatwork #happyoffice #officelive #arcademachine #softwarhouse #webdev #webdevelopment #poznan #merixstudio

Post udostępniony przez MERIXSTUDIO (@merixstudio) 18 Maj, 2017 o 3:26 PDT

The break at work is necessary, but it's worth to have some fun after work hours as well. This is the reason why we established monthly budget dedicated to corporate retreats. The most important is the fact that Merixstudio folks are the ones who decide about the form and the place of the meeting. BBQ in a pub, bowling or playing pool are just some of our events.

You can organize both company retreats and team-building plays in the office as well. And they can be just as interesting and involving as the ones out of the office. Here you have an article about how to organize an integration game in your office.

Non-wage benefits as a secret weapon in the fight for employee

The level of employment in the IT industry in Poland comes to 100 000 employers, and there's still a lack of from 40 000 to 50 000 of specialists. You can stay behind in the sector that is so competitive and develops so fast as IT. The battle for an employee is fierce, so it's not surprising that non-wage benefits have been shown to be essential. Interestingly, as many as 90 percents of Millennials put extra perks ahead of pay raise. The diversity in the matter of benefits makes Merixstudio employee-friendly place for both new and current employees and can be our bargaining card.