I recently read an article about employee benefits and today’s modern workforce. While companies like Zappos are really retaining talent because of their employment environment, the company seems to be the exception to the current trend’s rule.
More and more employers are eliminating office perks like free coffee and bottled water because their employees report valuing cash over perks and benefits. The same goes for health care. Being “Obamacare” is only requiring employers to offer health insurance and not dental or vision plans, many companies are reporting their employees don’t want to opt for these plans but receive more cash.
The truth is that while cash seems to be kind, employees do want to work in a pleasant environment. I suspect the free coffee and water being removed in the office would simply mean the extra cash employees will obtain simply will be spend buying coffee and water when at work.
I don’t have the answer. I read an article on another HR blog about this trend. I read about Zappos’ success often. I look for trends within my company and the companies that utilize me to find them great employees. What I can say is each company has to gauge its own culture. Zappos’ culture and environment isn’t a great match for the entire sea of businesses that exist today. And, we shouldn’t force businesses to adapt Zappos’ HR attitude. The same goes for substituting cash for office perks and health benefits. Are your employees really ready for the change? Is it even something you want to consider?
Until we meet here again,

Britanie Olvera, CEO of Building Team Solutions