Employee perks, which are distinct from benefits, have become an increasingly popular topic of discussion in the business world. The problem is, most conversations about employee perk ideas center on companies with desk workers — leaving out businesses that employ hourly-based workers.

The truth is, hourly workers may benefit even more from perks than the average desk employee due to conditions like less flexible work schedules, hours spent on their feet, and time spent in customer service interactions. Perks are not a perfect compensation for the difficulties of shift work, but they can combat burnout and turnover.

So with that, it’s time to discover how to give your shift-based employees the perks they actually want.

Are employee perks worth it?

Using out-of-the-box perks to entice employees started around the 2000s when Big Tech companies offered elaborate selections of free food and multiple ping pong tables in their break rooms. The idea was to make employees enjoy being at work instead of dreading it—which improved how employees viewed their employers.

Since perks became common in the tech industry, other big companies followed suit and offered perks to help recruit and retain top talent.

But nowadays, with markets always changing and the rising costs of… well, everything, companies of all sizes are wondering if perks are worth the price. Ironically, Google, a company at the forefront of adding employee perks, cut back perks in 2023.

On the one hand, most employees would rather just be paid well and treated well than get free snacks. On the other hand, some companies can’t afford raises for all their employees and may find offering cool employee benefits or perks more feasible.

Quality over quantity

So, what are companies supposed to do when unhappy employees start to leave?

Change their mindset.

Instead of offering superficial “treats” like pizza parties or forcing employees to spend money to use their established perks, HR leaders should focus on staff perk ideas that improve employees’ lives and workplace culture.

How to identify quality perks for your workers and implement them successfully

How can a shift-based business balance quality perks with its budget when employing potentially thousands of employees? Here are some tips.

1. Ask employees what they want

It’s often the simple solutions that get overlooked. If you want to ensure you’re offering enticing employee perks, ask your employees what they want.

This can be difficult when your employees work different hours and locations. Luckily, a survey can be the perfect solution. The survey can offer a list of perk ideas and let employees vote anonymously, which makes honest answers more likely.

Giving employees options rather than having them come up with their own ideas makes things easier because they may not be sure what types of perks are reasonable to ask for. That said, you can still leave a space in the survey for workers to suggest staff perk ideas.

What if you don’t know what perks to suggest?

When you have thousands of workers in hundreds of locations, it can be difficult to narrow down employee perk ideas to a small number.

The best way to decide what potential perks to offer is to look at the demographics of your workforce. For example, research shows that women with very young children are participating in the workforce at a higher rate than ever. Women are also more likely than men to work multiple hourly jobs for more scheduling flexibility due to inability to afford child care. This means child care assistance — or scheduling flexibility — could be a crucial perk to offer.

If your workforce is made up of young people, you could offer finance classes or scholarship opportunities. If your workforce is older, perks related to wellness may be more appealing.

2. Offer unique perks

Many businesses are tempted to emulate the actions of the biggest, most successful company in their space — but that’s likely to backfire. Think about it: If every company is offering the same perks as you, what’s stopping your employees from leaving?

Every company has its own distinct culture, challenges, and goals. Creating unique employee perks that suit your workforce will improve employee recruitment and retention.

Obviously, it’s a near-impossible task to come up with perks that have never been offered before — which means your best bet is to focus on quality perks and think about what’s most likely to benefit your company’s employees. Having free fruit in a break room where workers only have 15-minute breaks probably won’t be as enticing as flexible scheduling options.

Personalise perks

Part of creating unique perks is personalising them to your employees. For example, create perks for birthdays and milestones. It’s an easy way to offer unique perks that also acknowledge your employees’ individuality and all the hard work they do daily.

3. Pick perks that improve workplace culture

Workplace culture is crucial to a thriving business when employees are regularly coming and going. You want to do everything you can to improve that culture, and perks are one way to do it.

Hourly employees often deal with a lot of stress. Changing schedules, rude customers, busy shifts — it’s easy for a negative atmosphere to build. While these factors may be out of your control, you can try to mitigate them through perks.

Think about your company values and how they’re reflected in your culture. For example, if your company is focused on child entertainment, your perks should reflect that. You could let parents bring their kids to work during their shift (if it’s safe) or rework your scheduling process to better accommodate working parents.

Remember, perks aren’t just meant to make your employees happy — they’re meant to make your company better as a whole.

4. Follow an implementation strategy

What good are employee perks if employees either don’t know about them or don’t know how to use them?

Before you roll out the perks, have an implementation strategy in place. This is especially important for shift-based businesses since not all employees work the same shifts.

How to create a good perk implementation strategy

First and foremost, you need to have a communication plan ready. You need to make sure every employee at every shift of every location understands what the perks are and how to use them.

Here are a few ways you can make this happen:

Mass email: Send out a mass email to employees outlining what perks are available, when they’re available, and how to use them.
Manager check-in: Have the managers of every department check in with their team for every shift for, say, a week. If there are any employees they missed, they can make a note of it and discuss the perks with them at the earliest convenience.
Posters: Create posters outlining all the details and post them in break rooms. Encourage employees to go to their managers if they have any questions.

Bonus tip: In addition to your current employees, you need to communicate your perks to potential employees as well. The best way to do this is to list the perks in your job postings.

4 reasons to offer perks to shift workers

Why should companies go through all this effort to provide employees perks—especially when all the moving parts of shift work make this extra difficult?

In short, it makes your company more appealing and ultimately more successful.

1. Retain workers

Many industries that rely on hourly workers are struggling to recruit and retain them. With so many companies competing for employees, you need to do what you can to stay on top — and perks can help.

Employee perks improve your work culture and make employees:

Feel appreciated
Excited to work for you
More engaged
More loyal

2. Build a better reputation

When employees are happy, that improves your company’s reputation to the outside world. We’ve seen plenty of horror stories about bad company practices or even employees walking out.

Happy employees are more likely to refer your company to friends and family. They’ll also leave better reviews on employer review sites like Glassdoor or Indeed — which makes recruiting easier.

3. Attract top talent

Speaking of recruiting, perks will also help you stand out from the competition and gain top talent in your industry. The perks you offer can determine whether a candidate chooses to work for your company or opts for another.

4. Improve productivity and profits

Spending a small amount of money on employee perks can pay dividends in the long run. Employees will work harder for you due to greater loyalty and engagement, while better retention means you’ll spend less on recruiting and training new workers.

Create a better experience for shift employees with Deputy

Meaningful perks and convenient tools can both contribute to a more positive workplace. Deputy makes it easier to improve your work culture with easy clock-ins and clock-outs, simple scheduling and time-off requests, and clear communication.

We can help you understand your employees better as well. Get feedback and send out mass communications with ease with our HR features.

Give your employees a good experience every shift. Schedule a demo today.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this publication is for general informational purposes only. Deputy makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the software or the information contained in this publication. While, Deputy’s software is designed to simplify shift work by assisting with hiring, onboarding, scheduling, time and attendance tracking, payroll integration, and wage and hour compliance, it is not a substitute for payroll or legal advice, nor is it intended to relieve you of your obligation to comply with the legal requirements applicable to your business. It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure that your use of Deputy complies with all applicable laws and regulations. Please review our Product Specific Terms for more information about your compliance responsibilities.

Employee Perk Ideas for Shift Workers & How to Implement Them