Nowadays, most of us would be happy just to have health insurance and maybe some paid vacation, but it’s still fun to read about some of the crazier perks available to employees of companies like Google and Twitter. Especially since, once you really dig in, it’s pretty clear that some of these fringe benefits aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
(Photo Credit: romanboed/Flickr)
For example, let’s look at a recent infographic on the topic, from webmaster tool site WhoIsHostingThis?. These perks sound great, but there’s often a catch:
1. Free food.
A staple of startups and tech giants like Facebook and Google, free meals and snacks are also a great way to keep employees chained to their desks. Is it a trap if you walk into it willingly?
2. Unlimited vacation time.
How much vacation time would you take, if your company didn’t limit your days off? Probably not all that much. For one thing, most employers who offer these policies have fine print attached that says your holiday can’t disrupt your work. Also, most people probably don’t want to push the boss to find out the real limits of that supposedly limitless time off.
3. Onsite services.
You can get your hair cut onsite at Dropbox or Facebook. Facebook also offers healthcare in the office, and Google offers that, plus childcare. All of that is great, except when you consider the fact that some of these services rob you of any chance to escape the office. (OK, the childcare perk is still pretty neat.)
Some of the other perks in this infographic come with fewer strings. We’ll take free rental cars on the weekend or commute reimbursement any day.
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If you could have any perk, what would it be? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
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