Employee turnover costs businesses not only monetarily—in terms of advertising, interviewing, and training a replacement employee—but also in terms of company morale, relationship building, and customer service.  Furthermore, it can take up to two years for a new hire to match the productivity and product knowledge of a long-standing employee. Many of the top companies have caught onto the value of retaining their best employees, and have created a culture that reflects how much they value their team.  

Gone are the days when offering health care and a decent salary were enough to attract the best employees, and keep them for years to come. Today’s workforce, especially millennials, are applying to companies offering various benefits from free meals and flexible hours, to on-site child care and fitness centers. Here are a few of the top companies who are offering creative benefits or exceptional working environments that entice new talent, and make it hard for long-standing employees to leave.

1. Google

Google tops the list of Fortune’s 100 best companies to work for due to the exceptional perks it offers employees. In addition to top-notch healthcare perks—including cancer-screenings at headquarters—Google keeps its employees comfortable and healthy by offering three free organic meals each day, in addition to a myriad of free personal-fitness classes, health clinics, laundry services, and much more. Other perks include onsite child care, college tuition reimbursement, and telecommuting options.

2. Genentech

This Biotech company values employees’ health, relaxation, and entertainment by providing on-campus amenities such as a farmers market, beauty spa, massage chairs, televisions, health-care clinic, and career development hub.  The company incentivises fitness and environmental awareness by paying cyclists an additional $12 each day they bike to work. If employees feel tired after a full day of working (and going to the farmers market or spa), Genentech has that covered with nap pods and a coffee bar— employees can rest up and re-energize without even having to leave the office.

3. VMWare

This Palo-Alto software company truly values the “chill” factor by not only offering a beautiful 105-acre campus with over 1,500 trees, but also by providing mindfulness classes in meditation and tai-chi, as well as a 5-week “chill program” stress-management course. If that isn’t enough for their employees to feel entirely “zen”, there is no shortage of therapy dogs on campus—VMware is pet-friendly so employees can bring their furry friends to the office.

4. REI

This sporting goods company allows its employees to utilize the products they sell by offering “Yay Days” which are paid days off for activities like hiking, biking, climbing, camping or skiing. They also offer healthcare benefits for part-time employees, and generous 401-K and profit sharing plans for salaried employees.

5. Salesforce

In addition to taking care of its employees, Salesforce allows its employees to give back to the community and take care of others by offering 7 paid days a year to volunteer, and by matching employee donations, dollar for dollar. Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff, and his wife are well-known philanthropists, donating millions of dollars to various worthy causes, such as $200 million for a new children’s hospital.

6. BigSpeak Speakers Bureau

BigSpeak encourages a culture of balance and wellness by providing employees with generous vacation time, flex schedules, remote work options, and additional time off for fun activities like surfing, yoga, or spending time with family. Additionally, BigSpeak team members are offered HSA health plans, a pension plan, profit sharing, and offsite trips. When monthly and quarterly goals are reached, the team is rewarded with gift certificates and prizes, as well as offsite events, and happy-hour get-togethers.  BigSpeak supports both personal and professional development, and awards each employee with a $1,500 annual allowance for seminars and educational courses.

If your company culture could use a reboot, or if you want to learn more about how the world’s best companies have created alluring cultures that align with their values, consider bringing in an expert such as Robert Richman who created Zappos Insights— the innovative program focused on educating companies on the secrets of Zappos successful culture, or Patty McCord, who created the Netflix Culture Deck that has been viewed millions of times and used as the foundation for many other company cultures.

What kinds of perks are offered at your company?  Tweet @BigSpeak to share new ideas, and improve the collective workforce.

The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.