InformationWeek
The 10 'Perks' IT Workers Want Most
By: Cynthia Harvey
Most job seekers don't look for specific perks, but the things an employer offers can provide a valuable glimpse into the corporate culture.
Demand for IT workers continues to outpace supply, meaning that employers face stiff competition when it comes to attracting talent. In order to appeal to job seekers, some companies offer exceptional or unusual perks, like nap rooms, on-site spas or free dry cleaning. However, experts say this approach might not always be the best strategy.
"Frivolous things like kegs or ping pong tables, most engineers see through that. They want to be challenged with a team of smart people, period," said Manny Medina, CEO of Outreach, which offers sales engagement software.
However, the perks that an employer offers can provide an overview of what it will be like to work at a particular company. Carter Lowe, an enterprise technical recruiter at IT staffing agency Mondo, said that when it comes to deciding whether to accept a job offer, "the workplace perks that a company offers are rarely a deciding factor for somebody, but they are definitely indicative of the overall culture."
Jeb Ory, CEO and cofounder of Phone2Action, a startup that offers digital advocacy and engagement software, echoed that sentiment. "More than anything, job seekers are looking to find a place to work that aligns with their values, and where their contributions are valued," he said. "Perks that are most relevant are those that are aligned with the substance of the company’s work."
Over and over, recruiters and hiring managers said that the attention-grabbing perks that nabbed headlines in the early 2000s are no longer very attractive to job seekers. For example, Scott Dobroski, a community expert at online recruiting site Glassdoor said, "Quirky perks can be fun and helpful for employees, but employers should understand what will keep their employees satisfied and engaged long-term."
So what are those things that keep employees satisfied and engaged? Here's a list in ascending order of importance.
Free Food
In certain parts of the country, some perks are "must-haves" when it comes to hiring and retaining talent. "At least in Silicon Valley there are certain perks that feel like table stakes. Most companies will provide some form of food, beverages and snacks, for instance," said Leela Srinivasan, CMO of Lever, a recruiting software vendor.
But the standard range of junk food might not be enough for some recruits. "We have found that many great developers have a discerning palette," said Medina. "Some are coffee or tea connoisseurs, some love fine wine, some like Swiss chocolate. But almost universally, they prefer quality over quantity. Every tech company has a fully stocked kitchen now, but chips and sodas no longer cut it. You’ve got to find the small set of things that make people feel at home and invest in them."
In other words, employers should offer free food — good food — for their employees. But that won't be enough to set a company apart as a great place to work.
Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave
Government regulations mandate that employers provide a certain level of unpaid leave to new parents. Organizations that go beyond the requirements and offer paid leave send a message that the company will be supportive of workers with families. That can be very important to companies that are trying to attract workers who don't fit into the common stereotypes of single, male IT workers.
"If you are solving for a diverse IT staff, you need a different set of perks — like parental leave, nanny benefits, day care reimbursements, flex hours and work from home," said Medina.
Supporting that opinion, a Glassdoor study found a very high correlation between maternity and paternity leave and employee satisfaction. In fact, parental leave ranked right behind top benefits like health insurance and 401K plans.
Flexible Paid Time Off
Not every employee is a parent, but almost all employees appreciate a little extra vacation time. In fact, in the Glassdoor study, vacation and paid time off ranked second highest when it comes to benefits and perks that correlate with employee satisfaction.
Several experts mentioned that flexible time off, where employees don't have to provide a reason for not being at work, was particularly attractive. Some employers have gone so far as to offer unlimited paid time off. However, this arrangement gets mixed reviews. Many employees say they worry that taking time off will hurt their careers — even though the employer says it is allowed. And employers and employees alike say that some employees don't take enough vacation time under this arrangement, leading to potential burn out.
Flex Perks
Several employers and hiring experts noted that different types of workers want different things. "Make sure your perks match the demographics you are trying to attract," suggested Medina. For example, while younger workers might find it fun to work at a place that has a foosball table, more experienced workers who are starting families might appreciate day care reimbursement.
Lowe has spotted an interesting trend in this regard. "Something that I've seen a lot of really successful companies do is offer flexibility so that employees can pick out the kind of perks they want." In these cases, the employer offers a pool of money that can be used for a number of different things, like gym memberships or childcare or eldercare. Then employees can pick out the perks that are most important to them. This option also has the benefit of allowing IT pros to pick new perks as their needs change in future years, potentially improving retention as well as recruiting.
Flexible Scheduling
Lowe said that these days, one perk trumps all others when it comes to IT workers. "The biggest thing is flexibility," he said. IT talent is looking for the opportunity to set their own hours and work when it is most convenient for them.
Interestingly, however, the Glassdoor data shows that having flexible hours doesn't really make employees all that happy. In that study, reduced or flexible hours was near the very bottom in correlation with employee satisfaction. It may be that flexible schedules may help attract talent but doesn't necessarily help keep them happy in their positions.
Remote Work
Going hand-in-hand with flexible scheduling is the ability to work from home or other locations. Lowe said that "the opportunity to have workplace flexibility — remote days, fully remote, flex hours, that sort of thing," is a big draw for today's IT workers.
And working from home showed a much higher correlation with employee satisfaction in the Glassdoor study. It ranked 25th on the list, which interestingly, was ahead of popular perks like performance bonuses and tuition assistance.
Career Developement Opportunities
Today's IT workers often approach a new position with a long-term perspective. They are looking for a job that can help them get to the next step in their careers.
"In some ways, the market has moved 'beyond perks' to providing more career development and career pathing resources," said Lever's Srinivasan. "Frankly, if you don't equip your people with the tools to help them grow and progress in their careers, you shouldn't act surprised and disappointed when they leave your organization in favor of another opportunity that promises the growth and progression they crave." In her opinion, when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, "Professional development eats ping pong for breakfast."
Supportive Culture
One of the most important "perks" when it comes to recruiting and retaining talent is also one of the most difficult to define. Job seekers often say they are looking for a company with a culture that values them.
"In my experience, what matters ultimately is that team members feel secure in their jobs and are doing work that matters," said Phone2Action's Ory.
He added, "One of the things that I’ve noticed that attracts technology job seekers to us is that we work hard and celebrate the work of our engineers. . . . Put those two things together — hard work and a supportive team — and that’s a perk that’s hard to quantify, but it keeps people here and creates an unmatched work environment."
Competitive Salaries
Of course, a salary is not a "perk," in the strict sense of the word, but it often is the deciding factor when it comes to IT workers. Most of them are very well acquainted with average salaries for their job titles, and they don't hesitate to take a better offer when one comes along.
Medina told a story that illustrates a common problem. "Last year we had a person accept an offer for a security job only to show up on the first day to tell us that he took another offer that paid him significantly more."
Employers with limited budgets would do well to weigh the potential cost and benefits of particular perks against the potential gains of simply offering a higher salary.
And, the Most Important Perk: Good Benefits
For many IT job seekers, one factor trumps all others when it comes to selecting a place to work: the overall benefits package.
"In the war for talent, providing the best benefits around is far more important than any kitschy perk you could come up with," said Medina. "You need to make sure your benefits are top. Not top half, top quartile, but top."
Dobroski noted that a Glassdoor survey revealed that "Four in five employees prefer new or additional benefits over a pay raise."
He added, "Spa treatments and tuition reimbursements do have some value and can be eye-catching to potential top talent, but it’s not the leading solution to hiring and retaining great workers. Glassdoor Economics Research shows most people still prefer more traditional benefits – such as healthcare, vacation/paid time off and retirement/pension plans – over some of the flashier perks that often make headlines."
