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

I've worked in several different industries

Free hot food per shift
Reduced price tinned food
Discounted shares & share save scheme
Pension contributions by employers
Free tickets to Legoland
Free tickets to camping & music festival
Free tickets to 02 music concert
Free tickets to Formula E
Free mobile phone contract
Free fresh fruit & hot drinks
Easter Egg
Bonus
Christmas party with free hotel for overnight stay
Free uniform

Business travel and entertaining including some amazing parties and places. I have stayed in wonderful hotels but it does spoil you so holidays now I am no longer with the company just aren't the same!
BUPA and travel insurance
Free parking in central location
Private school fees paid when working overseas

Free car clean
Occasional free pizza/Starbucks/McDonald's
Decent commission
An easy going boss that will swap days/make life easier if you need to go to an appointment/laughs at you if you oversleep I was 2hrs later
Car discount for employees and family
The odd test drive/take a car home for the weekend

I worked for a wine company, they had a testing dept who would take a small amount of the bottle of wine to try. We then got to take these v expensive bottles home, which of course had to be drunk that night. At that time we couldn't afford decent bottles of wine.

I once won an award that involved an all expenses paid 4 day luxury trip to Monte Carlo, including the time off to go and an expensive gift delivered home to DH while I was away.

More recently, working in school, we have allowed all staff one "free" day off of their choice in term time. That is a really valuable benefit to staff.

Majorly discounted tv, broadband and mobile phone package - £17 a month, flexitime, private healthcare (but it is taxed), discounted wine and experience days and other random discounts. We also have annual health checks and access to a the Babylon health app and WFH going forward 60% of the time. Also when schools were shut we got a 90 day subscription for Twinkl.

In my first real job, the pay was ok but not great. But at Christmas our employer gave us £300 in cash a week before Christmas - this was not our wages, it was extra, and in 1982 it was a fortune.

We are allowed to take home left over promo stock

So like Red Nose Day. There was lots of stuff left over and we could take them home

Even stuff like Lego cards when that promotion was over. People were taking home full boxes of cards

I was lucky. So much business travel that I used to get an invite to Richard Branson’s house every year - he used to hold a big garden party event for most frequent travellers, and a few work mates and I always made the list.
Then one company I worked for invited everyone who worked for them around the world to an annual skiing holiday, and every year they came up with more and more exotic places to ski, like skiing the midnight sun in the Arctic circle, and skiing in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
I was very very lucky.

I've had some brilliant perks in previous roles, including free hair and beauty treatments, unlimited supply of hair care, skin care and make up - best of all free GHD's 😀

But currently I work for a local authority. I've got a great pension, I work 37 hours a week (entirely flexibly) and I could have up to 53 days leave a year (32 days, 8 Bank holiday's and 13 flexi days).

13 weeks of holiday a year.

I'm envious! I can only take annual leave during school half terms and have no perks.

Officially - 41 days annual leave, decent pension provision, entitled to Bluelight card discounts (NHS)

Unofficially - considerable amounts of Ferrero Rocher and Celebrations and the opportunity to have a neb at some interesting houses (community staff)

Various jobs - cheap cars, cheap sky tv, free newspapers.

Working in a school, we also get 1 extra day a year off whenever we want (so long nobody else has chosen the same day).

DH gets free business class air travel which is fab!

Travelling to lovely places and staying in nice hotels (despite having to work when I'm there).

Industry discounts & perks on travel and hotels when I'm travelling for leisure. I was once gifted a weeks free stay in a gorgeous beach hotel.

I got a fortnight working in Manhattan when I worked at the big 4. All expenses paid, gorgeous hotel, great bars and restaurants. Flew business class. It was amazing, and really rare for these trips, the work was an absolute doddle. 5 hours a day max and no problem with a massive hangover. Went with a great team too, it was definitely the highlight of my time working there.

First job when I left school tips,free haircuts,hair updo's,free hair colouring when ever I wanted it.

Another job,all meetings were fully catered and usually in a very nice,very expensive hotel and you were expected to take alot of breaks and a very leisurely lunch and afternoon tea on top of that we got first refusual on heavily subsidised trips for all of our family to theme parks ect,first refusal on free courses that were available to ourselves and our family's.

Another job free food and lots of it that we were told to take home with us and tons of other food available heavily reduced for us.

Saturday job when I was a reen back in the dark ages! Large chain store (not m&s). Free food at breaks - toast/bacon butties at morning break; 2 course meal at lunchtime, afternoon tea break with cakes. Didnt really appreciate the lunch that much at the time as back then shops weren't open on sundays so my lunch break was the only chance I had to go shopping

Also a staff discount but I didnt use it much as it wasnt somewhwere I usually shopped.

Oops. Teen

I want to say the 5*/first class business travel. Both myself and husband work in the same place so we accumulate(d) plenty of points of airmiles/loyalty cards that we can then use on our own holidays for upgrades/nicer hotels!

However, I think the best is one I don’t fully appreciate yet as I’m only 30 and that’s the 18% pension. I probably take the security this gives for granted at the moment but it’s the kind of thing that inspires you to stay loyal for a long time!

Free housing, free private healthcare, free car hire, free entrance to the zoo and splash parks and eating all meals for free in a hotel ... when I worked for a holiday company abroad!
Although back then my monthly wage was only £220 per month so it was unaffordable otherwise. Spain 2004.
I miss those days!

My DP’s work have a scheme where he can claim half of our nursery fees back in expenses. Saves us a fortune every month

The final salary non contributory pension scheme that although now ended has given me the ability to retire at 55 with a guaranteed income for life.

Free Aviva Heath insurance. I was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and needed a reconstructive operation afterwards which had a very long waiting list on the NHS.

I had free private treatment through the Aviva policy and my op was sorted quickly. It gave me my life and my confidence back. Now I get regular cancer again through Aviva