We know there is no such thing as a free lunch. Still, the idea that many corporate benefits aren’t always a benefit recently struck a nerve on Twitter.
“I’ve been thinking about anti-awards in tech jobs. What perks *sound* good but are a resounding no from you?
The tweet came from Jessica Rose, developer relations advocate, founder of a meetup series for programmers and aspiring programmers, and co-founder of Trans*Code, a hacker organization dedicated to bringing attention to the problems and opportunities of transgender people.
Rose’s “resounding no” was for so-called perks that have been around since time immemorial (or at least since the dot-com era). “Don’t give me food or hammocks or video games, just let me work remotely or get home on time,” Rose said.
‘Do not touch me’
The tweet thread was full of mixed responses, but the unlimited vacation paradox was the clear favorite. “Wow, people are very suspicious about unlimited paid time off,” Rose told Protocol when we caught up with her to ask about the tweet.
Other workers objected to office massages (“don’t touch me”), free booze, open offices (did anyone in the history of the world ever call this a benefit?), fitness rooms, nap rooms, escape rooms. (really any room), and something called “flawless retrospectives”. Um what?
If employees are going to be suspicious of any benefits you offer, why offer any benefits?
“So I am aware of how wonderfully spoiled it is to complain about the perks that are provided in some types of tech workplaces,” Rose said. “I am the least impressed with ‘perks’ that directly undermine employment rights (such as unlimited paid time off can occur in some regions) or are intended to skew work-life balance in favor of place.” of work”.
Unlimited or flexible vacation time can work, but it helps when the culture encourages people to take time off and experts agree that mandatory minimums go a long way toward creating that kind of culture.
Your best interest or mine? Why can’t it be both? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A Google engineering director who previously worked at Microsoft and Zillow called employer-sponsored coaching an anti-benefit. “I’ll look for a trainer who’s looking out for my best interests, not the company’s, thank you,” he said, adding, “I know I’m lucky to be offered this, but it always feels like cheating.”
There are good reasons to be at least a little wary of these programs. Last year, Protocol reported that when tech companies work with training programs like BetterUp and Bravely, the conversations themselves are confidential, but the company often receives aggregated reports about the issues expressed by workers in general, the topics what they are discussing, what is going well for them. at work, and what not.
When Protocol spoke with Twilio’s vice president of talent management, Andrew Wilhelms, about the company’s coaching partnership, Wilhelms explained that BetterUp provides a set of Twilio-specific priorities to coaches, and that Twilio can update those priorities and goals as needed. the type of cultural change that the company needs. watch.
This may seem too controlling, or it could be a great way to help change a company culture for the better, especially if most employees feel stressed and burnt out and are more likely to say this to a coach than to your manager. Twilio told Protocol that 99% of employees who used the coaching service in the past year said the sessions were a valuable use of their time, and 94% said the sessions made them more effective at work.
“Meaningful and thoughtful benefits can benefit employers and team members alike, helping keep team members happy and hopefully keeping them in their position longer,” Rose said.
Free Sun Chips
Research shows that today’s employees don’t want snacks as much as they want a job that aligns with their values and extends to benefits.
“I love job benefits that demonstrate an employer’s ethics and commitment to meaningfully support their team members,” said Rose. These benefits can include big structural benefits like location-independent pay and support for different types of employee leave, but also smaller things like “sending people a little bonus on their birthday to buy a cake,” Rose added. Rose is also looking for “employers who don’t outsource cleaning or security staff, to ensure that all members of her team have access to the same types of pay and support.”
What your ‘advantages’ say about your corporate culture
Some “anti-benefits” are simply common decency and respect, like believing your employees are telling the truth when they call in sick. In response to Rose’s suggestion, a senior system administrator pointed to a job listing that offers an “honor-based sick leave policy” in addition to its “commitment to an open, inclusive and diverse work culture.”
And think twice before including your game room in your job description, one Miro product designer tweeted:
“When they advertise a ping-pong table on the job listing, it’s a big 🚩 for me. And I love ping-pong. If a silly lead like this [is] such an important part of their benefits package that it says a lot about what the company values and probably about its culture.
A version of this story appeared in Protocol’s Workplace newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox three times a week.
Source: www.protocol.com