Let’s Get Real About Company Perks
Taken right from the Assist handbook for new team members
I wanted to share why we believe giving everyone a personal assistant is the greatest perk you can offer. And a few other thoughts.
Productivity Perks > Posh Perks
There’s a lot of talk, especially in technology, about cute and fun perks. Ping pong tables, free lunches, fuzzy chairs, and insanely expensive offices.
What’s interesting about motivation and passion, though, is that when things get tough none of those ever seem to matter. Purpose, being productive, and making a difference are what we find to drive us more than anything else.
So we are taking a different approach. We believe that the best way to make people happy is to allow them and help them to be productive, be healthier.
We focused our perks solely around giving people time and productivity. Let’s face it, our personal lives don’t just stop because we are at work. That’s not the world we live in anymore. People should be able to take care of personal things while at work.
Personally, I’ve found that when things get tough none of the cute and fun perks matter anyways. They don’t make anyone happier. Doing your best work does.
So, we focused on 3 things:
- Time & Productivity
- Health
- Flexibility
Assistant. So, we are giving everyone who works at Assist a personal assistant to help them with scheduling, tasks and managing their calendars. Executives usually get one, why not everyone? Work with your assistant to drive you to be more productivity with your job, at home, with family, whatever. A happy and productive you is a happy and productive company.
We will help train you on the best way to use your personal assistant. We find that since most have never had one, it’s sometimes hard to learn what to delegate to them.
Learning and education. We want to support ongoing education. We offer course credits and budgets for any tools, training or classes you’d like to take.
Fitness or diet. Everyone gets $100/mo to stay in shape or eat healthier. You decide where and how to spend this.
Travel time. Everyone who travels for work more than once a month will receive a free Clear membership. Using Clear has proven to be one of the best time savers in the world. Skip all lines and have a personal escort through security at most major airports in the US.
Flexibility. The line between personal and professional is gone. The ability to work from anywhere is real and usually brings with it a different perspective. We trust you to do your work regardless of where you choose to find a desk. Our office in SF is for collaboration in person. Want to extend a work trip to NYC back home for the weekend before returning to SF? Great.
We do work from anywhere Friday. Come to the office, leave early for the weekend, or work from home. Whatever you want.
Lastly, for both internal teams and external partners, there is no cost too expensive to be face to face. Meetings in person are the single greatest way to get anything done. Have a big problem or need to make something happen? Do it. Don’t wait. Don’t call.