Mental Floss

20 Companies With the Best Job Perks

By Shaunacy Ferro

iStock
iStock / iStock
facebooktwitterreddit

For most workers, getting free office coffee and paid vacation—maybe even a few weeks of maternity leave!—is considered a job perk. But for the lucky employees of a small subset of companies, showing up to work means free meals, free classes, random days off to enjoy nature or volunteer, and even extra cash for that new baby or favorite charity cause. 

In 2014, the recruitment site Glassdoor created a feature where employees could review their company’s job perks. This week, the site made some of the coolest employee benefits public (and we almost wish they hadn't).

Here are 20 companies offering some of the most unusual, enticing perks shared with Glassdoor between August 2014 and late January 2016, as well as the companies' overall benefits rated on the site's five-star scale (asterisks refer to companies with less than 20 reviews):

1. Netflix offers one paid year of maternity and paternity leave to new parents. They also allow parents to return part-time or full-time and take time off as needed throughout the year. Overall Benefits Rating: 3.7 2. REI encourages its employees to get outside by offering two paid days off, called “Yay Days,” a year to enjoy their favorite outside activity. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.0 3. Salesforce employees receive six days of paid volunteer time off a year, as well as $1,000 a year to donate to a charity of their choice. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.5 4. Spotify provides six months of paid parental leave, plus one month of flexible work options for parents returning to the office. The company also covers costs for egg freezing and fertility assistance. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.2* 5. World Wildlife Fund employees take Friday off every other week, also known as “Panda Fridays” at the nonprofit. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.5* 6. Airbnb, Glassdoor's Best Place to Work in 2016, gives its employees an annual stipend of $2,000 to travel and stay in an Airbnb listing anywhere in the world. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.6 7. PwC offers its employees $1,200 per year for student loan debt reimbursement. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.0 8. Pinterest provides a unique take on the parental leave policy by providing three paid months off, plus an additional month of part-time hours, as well as two counseling sessions to create a plan to re-enter the workplace. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.7* 9. Burton employees receive season ski passes and “snow days” to hit the slopes after a big snowfall. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.0* 10. Twilio offers employees a Kindle plus $30 a month to purchase books. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.0 11. Twitter is well-known for providing perks such as three catered meals a day, but some lesser-known benefits include on-site acupuncture and improv classes. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.3 12. Accenture covers gender reassignment for their employees as part of their commitment to LGBTQ rights and diversity. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.0 13. Walt Disney Company wants its employees to enjoy the “Happiest Place on Earth” as much as their visitors by offering free admission to its parks for employees, plus their friends and family, as well as discounts on hotels and merchandise. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.0 14. Facebook provides $4,000 in “Baby Cash” to employees with a newborn. Overall Benefits Rating : 4.7 15. Evernote hosts classes through "Evernote Academy," which offers team-building courses like macaroon baking. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.3* 16. Epic Systems Corporation offers employees a paid four-week sabbatical to pursue their creative talents after 5 years at the company. ­Overall Benefits Rating: 4.3 17. Adobe shuts down the entire company for one week in December and one week over the summer. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.6 18. Asana employees have access to executive and life coaching services outside of the company. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.9* 19. Zillow pays for employees who are traveling to ship their breast milk. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.5 20. Google provides the surviving spouse or partner of a deceased employee 50% of their salary for the next ten years. Overall Benefits Rating: 4.6

It’s not just the Googles and Facebooks that are uncommonly generous with their employees, but alas, there still aren’t very many employers willing to take on your student loan debt. If you’re researching a new career, it may be worth taking things like travel stipends, super-flexible parental leave policies, and free egg-freezing into account along with your salary requirements.

[h/t: Fast Company]