Perks, passion or paisa?

According to a new survey from Glassdoor, 76 per cent of surveyed employees say medical coverage is the most important benefit followed by time-off from work. Retirement benefits, dental insurance, training and tuition benefits are all attractive employee benefits as well.

Even perks have value and they can vary widely depending on the company for which you work. Whether it's on-site child care, bringing your dog to work, a casual dress code, a flexible schedule, free food and drinks, or something else; perks can make a big difference in the quality of your work life even if they don't directly impact your pay cheque.

We spoke to young employees and this is what they have to say.

Krushita Adhia, employee at Google, Hyderabad, says, “I feel salary is what encourages employees to work with dedication. Raise in income level encourages them to perform better. Work environment comes next in the list. My colleagues here are all open minded and working here is fun. Google as a company focuses on growth and employee satisfaction. We do get perks, but it plays a very small role. Google provides more employment opportunities and that motivates me.”

Agreeing with Krushita, Rohit Rajarapu, Corporate employee at Dupont also says that perks are just to make an employee feel happy about being associated with his/her company, but many times it doesn't work as expected.

He believes in the idea of perks and salary going hand in hand. Say if the shift ends late in the night, providing food at office will add to the chances of him being with the company and sticking to it for a longer time. But at the same time, he says, “More perks and low salary doesn’t help.”

But for Garima Shukla, Design Head at Esparsha- a Hyderabad-based customised merchandising company- freedom, respect and appreciation from the employers is what matters more than salary. Another driving force that keeps me happy is the very work she does.

Speaking about initiatives that the companies take to ensure that their employees are motivated to work harder, Rajita Singh, Head HR, Broadridge Financial Solutions, says, “Small details like ensuring families are present to witness and cheer when an associate is recognised are valued at our company. Their ideas are nurtured and rewarded which motivates them.” According to her, most of the employees look forward to praise or appreciation from their immediate managers, leadership attention and/or a chance to lead a project. “Such practices and rewards are much appreciated and are longed for compared to the highly rated financial perks,” she concludes.