3 On Your Side: Keeping Coworkers Happy
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- More and more companies are taking steps to keep their employees happy with perks that were unheard of just a few years ago. As 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan finds, in some offices there's even a person on staff paid to keep up with the extras, and keep them coming.
Free lunch, workout breaks and gym memberships, even real camels brought in for hump day. They're all part of the perks Amy Thomas is responsible for organizing and keeping her co-workers happy. She says, "Happy employees make productive employees."
Employee Matt Vornwald's favorite perk: getting his car detailed while he works. He says, "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."
The traditional office manager job is evolving now, merging a bit of a concierge position in with other office duties. The 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 raison d'etra is to think about amenities in the workplace," says Iwan Barankay with the University of Pennsylvania's Warton School. According to Barankay, a point person for perks is especially common in tech companies where demand for talent is high and the hours are long. He says, "They make the workplace pleasant, make the employees more willing to stay longer."
So how much impact do the quick perks have on productivity? Barankay says research shows short term they have a lot of impact. But long term, not so much.
