The best alternative employee benefits for your team

In the modern office environment, employee benefits have become somewhat barking mad (no really!). From duvet days to scooting around the city at the expense of your employer, this list of incentives is nothing short of surprising. 🤯

Whether you’re looking to ramp up your own workplace perks, or simply want an entertaining read about some of the initiatives companies are adopting, we’ve explored some of the wackiest employee benefits we could find… 👀

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Unlimited Holiday ☀️

Starting with unlimited holiday, some employers have explored the idea of giving unrestricted time off to employees. Yes, you read that right! 

As it turns out, a lot of us feel our holiday allowance just isn’t enough, and so some forward-thinking companies have done away with contractual holiday allowances. 

This means that by the discretion of line managers, employees are entitled to stroll the beaches, drinking the finest cocktails whenever they want! 🍸

Of course, this all depends on workload, deadlines and many other factors, as it’s still early days for this kind of employee benefits scheme. 

Who knows? In the near-distant future, you could be reading this post from Iceland’s Blue lagoon, or maybe from the comfort of an inflatable doughnut in a pool in Southern France. 🏊‍♀️

Currently, some employers are sceptical about unlimited holiday allowances, while others have embraced it with open hands (obviously!). 

One potential downside to this policy is that employees actually take less annual leave as there’s no looming deadline to take off unused days. To combat this, we recommend setting a minimum annual leave policy to ensure everyone gets some well-deserved R&R!

For now, time will tell whether unlimited holiday really works, but if it should, I’m sure many of us will be heading to our bosses, with our very own inflatable doughnuts and sun lotion in hand. 😍

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Pawternity Leave 🐶

Let’s face it, parenthood just isn’t for all of us, and that shouldn’t be a problem. Well, dog lovers will be over-the-moon to hear about ‘pawternity leave’. A new phenomenon in the workplace that allows for new dog owners to take time off to look after their new pooch. 

On the surface, one would assume new dog owners have it so much easier when it comes to parenting, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact dogs, especially puppies, require a lot of attention and training. 🐕‍🦺

Without a lot of commitment in the initial days, bonding with a dog, and training it to be a responsible member of the household, can be very difficult! 

In the workplace, employers are embracing the demand for pawternity leave. After all, they’re likely a dog owner themselves and understand the hardship that comes with homing a new dog. 🐕

Did you know there are around 12.5M dogs in the UK, as of 2020/21? With a steep increase from 9M occurring in 2019/20 - predictably during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Pets at work Day 💻

Following on with the theme of pets, some workplaces have begun to introduce ‘pets at work day’. This bizarre employee benefit sees every poodle, pomeranian and pug dashing around the office, disrupting their owners for a fuss. 🐩

Whether you’re employees are new dog owners, or just really enjoy their pups’ company, this is a great employee benefit that will more than put a smile on their faces!

This employee benefits scheme also allows for outdoor, walking meetings. Not only is this beneficial for our wellbeing as it gets us outside, but it also means our four-legged friends get a walk. 🚶‍♂️

In fact, believe it or not, one study found that 90% in pet-friendly environments felt connected to their employers' mission, are more engaged, and even more likely to recommend their workplace to others.

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Duvet Days 🛌

Duvet days have grown in popularity over the last couple of years, with more employers offering days to lounge around on the sofa with a nice cuppa, because why the heck not?

These are typically unscheduled days off from work, often to recover from a late night out or an extremely busy week. Duvet days are the perfect opportunity for employees to take advantage of a generous employee benefit. 

According to HRnews.co.uk, 65% of UK workers are more likely to take up a job that offers duvet days as part of their contract. 

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E-scooters 🛴

In UK cities, you can’t help but avoid the vast wave of e-scooters popping up on every corner in every street. And some employees are reaping the rewards, free of charge! 🤑

As an employer, you have the satisfaction that your team can and should get to the office much more easily if public transport has been disrupted. As an employee, you’ve been given the means to dash around the city as much as you want! 

E-scooters are popping up everywhere as a more environmentally-friendly and convenient means of transport. Additionally, they can also often be a more affordable means of commuting to and from work. 

While subsidised commuting costs aren’t a new thing, e-scooters definitely are, and they provide a much funner way to dash around city centres. The only downfall for their use of daily commuting is the limited zone at which users can ride around. 

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1000s of other employee benefits ideas

In addition to these crazy employee benefits schemes above, we want to let you know all about Heka!

Our employee benefits platform provides 1000s of wellbeing experiences. Whether it’s tuning into a virtual yoga class from the comfort of your bedroom, or talking with a financial adviser via video call with Claro, there’s something for everyone when it comes to employee wellbeing.

The wide range of employee benefits on Heka spans more than 50 wellbeing categories, making employee benefits schemes accessible, affordable and diverse for your company. 

If you’d like to find out more about Heka, and how our employee benefits platform can work for your team, simply book a demo with one of our wellbeing experts now.