Free lunch, workout breaks and gym memberships, even real camels brought in for hump day, are all part of the perks Amy Thomas is responsible for organizing. Her job is keeping her co-workers happy.
"Happy employees make productive employees," she said.
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Providing these perks has become a full time job. The company Thomas works for, Total Quality Logistics, recently added two new positions to pour on more perks, including an employee engagement specialist and employee program specialist, both of which will manage the non-traditional perks her company offers. The company says it's a smart business decision.
"We want the best of the best to come to us and if they're having a good time while they are at work, that's really going to help," said Kristine Glenn , Sr. Communications Specialist at TQL.
Matt Vornwald is one of those employees. His favorite perk is getting his car detailed while he works.
"It's kind of tough to get out and do things extra outside of work so, to be able to get it done here while we're busy and not have to leave the actual office really benefits and helps out a lot," he said.
The traditional office manager job is evolving now, merging a bit of a concierge position in with other office duties. The end result: what several companies now call the "Head of Workplace."
"They take this very seriously nowadays in many companies. They get a dedicated person or a team of people in bigger companies whose only raisen d'etra is to think about amenities in the workplace," said corporate consultant Iwan Barankay.
Brankay, who specializes in workplace incentives, says a point person for perks is especially common in tech companies where demand for talent is high and the hours are long.
"They make the workplace pleasant, make the employees more willing to stay longer," he added.
But how much impact do the quick perks have on productivity? Barankay says research shows short term a lot, but long term, not so much.
"They are subsequently more productive. But this effect may not last beyond a couple hours or even a day. The emotion may subside over time. So, I think what may work better would be to provide an atmosphere that is conducive to be pleasant throughout the week rather than a moment in time," Barankay explained.
Thomas says she is working on that and points out it is not all fun and games. Getting feedback is part of the position.
"We survey our employees a lot and the feedback that we get time and time again is these perks are a big part of why our employees want to come to work," she said.
It's hard to tell whether the programs provide a real return on investment for the companies since there's no true way to measure this. But employees at these companies say they love it and have a harder time leaving the job.