20 Quirky UK Employee Perks & Benefits

With a third (34 percent) of people¹ reporting benefits and perks being among their top considerations before accepting a job, some employers are pushing the boat out when it comes to perks they offer to attract top talent. Beyond pensions, healthcare and company cars, what are some of the more incredible, unique and surprising benefits and perks that some employees are enjoying? These 20 companies are just some that provide perks and benefits that go beyond the basics, with paid trips away, free bacon, bicycle repairs and more. Check out the full results, according to Benefits Reviews on Glassdoor, shared by employees:

1. Huddle gives employees a £5,000 joining bonus called a ‘Huddle Cuddle’, as well as a gift worth £500 every year.
2. TransferWise takes all staff away on annual, all-expenses-paid company holidays.
3. Airbnb offers staff employees $2,000 (£1,413) to travel and see the world.
4. Skyscanner has negotiated employee discounts at the local pub and beauty salon.
5. The Body Shop pays for five volunteering days per year.
6. Peninsula Business Services lays on a Christmas party for employees’ children.
7. AutoTrader UK has a Wine Club, giving employees discounted wine delivered to their door every month.
8. Jive Software offers staff free food including Bacon Thursday and Hot Food Friday, healthy snacks, free drinks including soft drinks, beers on tap and coffee.
9. Opus Professional Services has a villa in Italy that employees can use free of charge whenever they want.
10. Visualsoft offers unlimited holiday time and unmonitored flexitime, allowing staff to take the time off that they need.
11. CA Technologies helps parents out with an on-site Montessori day care facility.
12. Rackspace offers employees an extra day off for their birthday.
13. Allen & Overy provides a GP and dentist on-site, helping to keep employees’ health in tip-top condition.
14. Pentland Brands provides an on-site swimming pool, gym, tennis court and football pitch.
15. ARM Holdings offers employees a 4-week sabbatical for every 4 years of service.
16. ASOS employees benefit from a 40% discount on website purchases.
17. Swinton Insurance gives employees an additional day’s holiday for Christmas shopping
18. Google provides employees with free food while they are at work, with a range of different cuisines on offer.
19. Jagex offers staff free bicycle repairs at the office, encouraging them to cycle to work and keep fit.
20. Holiday Extras hires out a cinema every year and offers a free film showing to all employees and their families.

Perks might get people in the door, but when it comes to what keeps employees at companies and satisfied on the job, it’s a different story. According to Glassdoor Economic Research, culture and values, career opportunities and senior leadership are the most important factors in cultivating employee satisfaction, which can directly impact employee retention. Thus, while benefits and perks are a great way to get employees interested in a company, they’re not among the leading factors that keep employees satisfied on the job and with a company long-term. This list was determined by identifying some of the more unique benefits employees are enjoying at companies, based on the hundreds of thousands of benefits reviews shared by employees on Glassdoor since August 2014, when the Benefits Reviews feature launched. Rankings for this report do not reflect order of importance, but are included for simplicity of reporting. ¹ This survey was conducted online within United Kingdom by Harris Poll on behalf of Glassdoor from December 21-23, 2015 among 1,043 adults ages 18 and older, among which 601 are employed full time/part time/self-employed or not employed but looking for a job. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact pr@glassdoor.com.