Nice-to-have employee benefits

When narrowing your job search, be sure to look into what employee benefits are offered. You probably already know to investigate things like health insurance, flex hours and number of vacation days. But there’s also no shortage of new and interesting benefits cutting-edge companies are offering their employees. Here are some of the more noteworthy ones.

Health perks
These benefits can include anything that positively impacts the health and well-being of employees. Health perks can be offered as on-site yoga classes, paid gym memberships and the availability of healthy snacks.

Paid volunteer days
This benefit suits socially conscious employees who want to get out of the office and make a positive difference in their community.

Conveniences
These are benefits that help employees manage their day-to-day lives. Some popular ones are dry cleaning pickup and delivery, on-site daycare and free parking (possibly with an on-site car wash).

Amenities
Benefits that allow you to let off a bit of steam while at work can be a nice add-on. Some companies — following the lead of giants like Google and Facebook — offer ping-pong, foosball or video games in their break room. Some don’t go quite so far but still provide a homey and comfortable space for employees to unwind.

Sweet perks such as these are worth taking into account when mulling over job options — they may well swing the balance one way or the other when it comes time to make a decision about where you want to work.