Julia Weeks
Being a small startup business in today’s economy can make it seem tough when it comes to competing with the fun employee perks and benefits that larger corporations are rolling out. However, there are two fun benefits that you can implement into your small startup that your employees will appreciate, without breaking your budget.
Exercise benefits
Many large corporations offer memberships to gyms in order to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles, which is something that many employees today are looking for in company benefits. Gym memberships can be costly, but there are some other options for small startups on a budget.
Rather than offering each employee a gym membership, think about consulting with your local fitness center about business deals. Some fitness centers will work with companies in order to provide the company with several gym membership cards for a low cost, enabling them to loan out the cards to employees. For example, the startup I worked with in the past had several gym membership cards which employees could check out when we wanted to go to the gym. For example, if I wanted to go to the gym after work on Mondays, I would simply take a membership card and sign my name and date on the sign-out sheet for that card. Once I finished with the card, I would take it back and make note on the sign-out sheet when I returned the card. This worked out really great, but it does require that all employees act responsibly and courteously when it comes to using and sharing the gym cards.
Another way your startup can provide exercise benefits without breaking the bank is by creating your own weekly exercise clubs, as mentioned on Forbes. You could create walking or running groups that meet each week before or after work, or even on lunch breaks. Ideally, you will have employees who will step up to the plate and lead these groups. These groups do not have to be limited to only running or walking, but could be anything from yoga to softball or basketball. Do you have employees who are passionate about certain sports or activities? Encourage them to take the lead, recruiting co-workers who are also interested in these activities. Many towns and cities have recreational facilities which are free to locals and local businesses.
Free Food
As Forbes mentions, most people love good food. And what’s better than good food? FREE FOOD! I’m not talking about fancy restaurants or catered meals. Many employees will enjoy a simple pizza party, ice cream social, morning bagels or donuts, or even a simple snack of popcorn. Think about implementing a pizza lunch once a quarter, bringing in bagels once a month, or even providing fresh popcorn during the next business training session or meeting.
You would be surprised how these simple, low cost gestures will help your employees to feel appreciated and valued.
It is really very simple to provide fun benefits to your employees without crushing your startup budget. Remember, it’s not always the company who spends the most money on extravagant things, but rather the company who makes their employees feel the most appreciated.
As always, ask your employees what type of fun benefits they would enjoy, and create your startup’s fun benefits from there.
What are some of the fun benefits you are providing your employees, while staying within your startup budget? Please share your ideas below.
Image: Kasia Bialasiewicz/BigStock.com
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