What's been your best work perk?

[gildalily]

I was reminded on one of those fb nostalgia posts about Luncheon Vouchers. In my first job I got luncheon vouchers as a perk. I think it was about 50p a day. The idea was you put them towards buying your lunch and in those days (1989) lots of places accepted them in payment. It was a nice perk if the job at the time and I'd save mine up and go for a pizza once every couple of months. It seems like an ancient concept now.

I then moved to work at M&S head office where the perks were amazing and legendary - hairdresser; chiropodist; staff discount; medical area like a full-on hospital with nurse; discount; fed at all lunches and breaks (and after work if you wanted!) for £10 a month. I think I lucked out perk-wise there.

What have your best perks at work been? Official or unofficial

Healthcare, including dental and eye checks
Yoga classes (now over zoom)
Used to have free fruit, snacks, drinks in the office
Christmas party with partners and summer party and training away, lots of other social events
Lots of Pre-Covid travel, so could get the points etc

New:
Up to 10 weeks fully paid Covid leave if you need it for you / look after your family (we have no-one on furlough as work not impacted)
More mental health services, access to remote GP

I didn't think I had anything to contribute, then I realised there was just one very good one.

When my children were born I was a junior doctor. I was automatically allocated a private room (I think we went top of the list after those with a medical need). That meant I could stay in hospital a few days after C-sections and get a little help with feeding. I saw the constrast when my nieces were born (also C-sections), my sister really needed to get home to some peace and quiet. The one she was really unwell with she found the postnatal phase really really difficult (as opposed to the usual difficult that we all experience!).

Oh I forgot my biggest perk! A degree I was paid full time hours for 3 years + fees. Would have cost circa £130k. Also 4 NVQ's and a Post Grad.

I worked at clothing retailers for years and the discounts, free uniform (basically you got to choose anything current from the store to wear to the office) and sample sales were epic. One also had 'summer Fridays' where you could finish at 1pm if your work was done and also provided lunches. I also worked in a kitchen where you got to eat any leftover desserts that would go to waste and a beer at the end of the night. 😋

I worked for an insurance company when I was 18. We also got Luncheon vouchers, about £85 a quarter. We also had team meetings in cocktail bars with free drinks, morning boardroom meetings with rolls and pastries, a tea lady who brought us cups of tea twice a day to our desks, Christmas parties that were 5-course meals and free drinks etc.

More recently, I work for a charity based community centre where M&S give us surplus food to reduce their waste, so we can take bits from that if we want.

Sometimes they let me leave on time

@Sunshinelover2 without being too specific, performing arts - think professional ballet, orchestra or theatre company (we are top tier internationally, ‘regular’ ones can’t afford business and 5* for 200 people, I worked with those for a long time).

We are home for 30 weeks and abroad for 14-16 weeks each year, it’s really great If only Covid buggered off already! I miss travel.

A long time ago now but I loved having my uniform washed pressed and hanging in my locker ready for me.
Free parking.
Decent pension provision
Lunch made to order at cost. We filled out a slip and sent it to the kitchens.
Generous maternity leave.
Fully paid time off for medical appointments and procedures.
Generous holiday entitlement.
Moving house extra leave days.
Generous fuel allowance and/or company car depending on the hours worked.
Being able to start my day in various locations, and finish my day in various locations. This could mean my last appointment of the day was close to home.
Free training and professional updates.

Complimentary tea, coffee & biscuits.

It's really not like this now.

Free fruit (back in the olden days when we were in the office) plus the usual free hot drinks.
Discounted shopping vouchers (e.g. 4% off Sainsburys, Tescos and Asda etc.)
Free fibre broadband

@Yosami yes I forgot that my company paid for my degree and masters 🙈

Free shiatsu.

25 years ago, a flash company car & free fuel - for personal use as well as business. Goodness knows what the tax liability would be on that today!

35 years ago, a monthly beer allowance 😁

Covid vaccine back in December to prevent waste in our clinic.

Special Oyster card that gave free travel on all TFL services for me and another adult in my household. That was hard to hand back lol

I get to sometimes go on school trips. I know, but for every bunch of feral year 10s trying to escape to the local bar and being up all night with homesick ones, I get a room to myself, meals supplied, see interesting places, have had top notch seats at west end musicals (pure luck that).
Oh and supply agencies bring bribes that I don’t have to declare, usually biscuits (which go in the staff room), wine, best one was a bottle of veurve clicot and a massive box of hotel chocolate. Didn’t work because they never had any supply staff near our remote rural school.

A clap!

Very good flexi time system, work from home for the majority, fantastic pension, good holiday allowance, good pay for what I do.

Free entry to all historic sites cared for by the organisation. Brilliant perk!

My first proper job leaving school was working in the office of the local bingo hall. Us "floor staff" all wore uniform which was machine washable; managers were expected to wear suits every day and received dry cleaning vouchers weekly.

My (very hot) manager and I spent many a slow afternoon having energetic but furtive sex on the desk in my office. He invariably messed up my uniform so he used to give me his vouchers every week 🤣

I've had many more financially beneficial perks over the years but that was definitely the most fun!

Being made redundant from John Lewis after 10 years. Getting 3 1/2 weeks full pay for each year (35 weeks pay tax free) and then another 6 months full pay in Lieu of notice. Also £3000 to spend on training and getting to keep my 25% discount card for 2 years after I leave. They have been great and I will bloody miss working there.

A £20 gift cards for Boots at Christmas

I worked as a secretary in a huge office building. We had a proper cafe and restaurant where you could have 4 items each free per day (as in 4 cafe items AND 4 restaurant items) We also had a discounted bookshop/newsagents that sold cheap food, drink, books, even phone chargers. Free parking. One half day per week. Free use of gym and showers. Plenty of office space so you could work alone/in a group. Mat and Pat leave were incredible too (I would've got pregnant just to have a few months off with full pay!)

Flexitime

You can definitely tell the nhs staff in this...we get flu and covid vaccines and we get paid...even that can go wrong!