Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#1

Post by gab007 » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 6:20 PM UTC

Hi HN,

I see more and more employers nowadays offering "free parking", "located near public transportation" or "foosball tables" as "perks" at the workplace. No disrespect, and I know that some of these cost money too, but what happened to the real ones?

One of the best perks I had at work, was that I had the freedom to work on my own schedule - as long as I put in at least 8 hours per day. The only downside of that was that I had to "step in" if there were issues, regardless of the hour of the day. I would still start the day at 8:00am at the office - it was nice to have the option to start later if you wanted so.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#2

Post by lsiunsuex » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 6:31 PM UTC

Free health care. Personal and family coverage. Had it at 2 jobs. Nothing out of per check other then the plan rates (co-pay, etc...)

Of course, nothing is free, but I don't think we earned less cause of it.

Monthly bonuses based on company performance was also nice, but it was like a sales company, so it could be tracked monthly / paid out monthly instead of year end.

Paying for parking now and it suuuuucks.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#3

Post by bb2018 » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 6:56 PM UTC

Working remotely/flexible is definitely the biggest.

It definitely works from the employer side. I would have to be really excited about a new company or get paid significantly more to go back to working in a normal office with normal hours. Once you grow accustom to it nothing beats setting your own life.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#4

Post by samizdis » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:08 PM UTC

As a news sub-editor (copy editor) on a regional UK newspaper many years ago, you had your pick of travel trips offered by PR outfits. I went to all sorts of places; all that was needed in return was a travel feature. The best trip was a 10-day, food-and-wine tour of Burgundy.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#5

Post by cimmanom » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 11:26 PM UTC

Half day fridays in summer.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#6

Post by doingmyting » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 2:47 AM UTC

bb2018 wrote: post #3

Working remotely/flexible is definitely the biggest. It definitely works from the employer side. I would have to be really excited about a new company or get paid significantly more to go back to working in a normal office with normal hours. Once you grow accustom to it nothing beats setting your own life.

Second this. Work remotely for big tech company. You couldnt pay me enough to go back to an office

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#7

Post by thiagooffm » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 8:39 AM UTC

salary

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#8

Post by johnnyRose » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 3:13 PM UTC

Not hugely significant, but a company I worked for before our unit was purchased used to offer a health program that, among other things, offered 10% off "healthy" foods at Walmart stores. This is a very small perk in comparison but it made a big and lasting difference in the groceries I purchased.

Some of the other perks to this program were a gym reimbursement after a certain number of verified workouts, nearly-free health insurance, and a rewards program which allowed you to redeem points for gift cards. Too much to explain in detail but it really incentivized a healthy lifestyle and has made a lasting difference in my health.

Not affiliated, but https://www.vitalitygroup.com/ if anyone is curious.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#9

Post by lostdog » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 7:51 PM UTC

Offices. Real offices with doors.

The on-site gym was pretty great too.

Re: Ask HN: What is/was the most significative perk you had at work?

#10

Post by dirktheman » Thu, Nov 01, 2018, 7:41 AM UTC

Basically: everything work/life balance related. Working from home, working part time (4 days instead of 5 is a game changer, totally worth the 20% pay cut), flexible hours and rarely having to work overtime are the most valuable to me.

I don't mind working my ass off during office hours, but spending time with my family is worth more to me than any job could give me. I turned down offers that would pay a magnitute of what I'm making right now, just because I'd lose the 1 day off and the expected overtime workload.