Jobs…With Benefits — Dave’s Diary

My “other” job is being a Yakima City Councilmember and we have spent quite a bit of time recently talking about salary AND benefits for city employee unions.  Boy can those benefits add up!  How about your benefits package?  Can you even call it a “package”? Me neither.

When employees were asked which benefit they value most, the No. 1 answer given by 76 percent of respondents was, not surprisingly, health insurance. But beyond that, what benefits and perks do we value the most? Glassdoor.com conducted an employee confidence survey and asked this question of full-time and part-time U.S. workers.

The most valued employee benefits are:

1. Medical plan/coverage: 76 percent
2. Holiday/vacation/sick time: 72 percent
3. 401(k)/retirement/pension: 62 percent
4. Dental plan/coverage: 60 percent
5. Employee development/training: 27 percent
6. Wellness programs: 26 percent
7. Employee discounts: 26 percent
8. Tuition reimbursement: 23 percent
9. Office perks: 21 percent

Many companies go far beyond health insurance and paid vacation. In addition, they offer "office perks," and some of these are amazing. Check out this list assembled by Salary.com.

• Google serves free gourmet lunches and dinners to its employees. They also get free oil changes and car washes, massages and yoga, an employee play room, back-up child care assistance and $12,000 annually in tuition reimbursement.
• Scripps Health offers tuition reimbursement, concierge services, on-site massages and pet insurance.
• Timberland gives its employees "service sabbaticals" that are the equivalent of 40 hours of paid volunteer work a year, annual bonuses and a generous employee discount on Timberland apparel, accessories and footwear.
• SC Johnson & Son offers an on-site concierge service to handle life's little chores, including sending packages and flowers, picking up groceries, shopping for the best deals on car insurance and taking cars in for service. The concierge will even stand in line for concert tickets.
• Dealer.com, an online auto marketing company, offers desk-side veggie delivery and subsidized organic "Dot Calm Cafe" drinks. In addition, there are on-site basketball and tennis courts and a gym staffed with personal trainers.