GLENVIEW, IL – The majority of small business owners are offering up free lunches, coffee and Wi-Fi to their employees, according to a new survey. About a third of small business owners offer health care and 401k benefits.
These have become standard perks, as 74 percent offer occasional free lunches; 65 percent supply free coffee; and 68 percent allow for free access to Wi-Fi. For some the cost is too high, but also the logistics of setting up and managing these benefits can be complex, according to the February 2016 SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard.
“Some people might think of a small business as having a couple hundred employees. The reality is a lot of small businesses are made up of two or three people, and they don’t have dedicated human resource professionals,” said SurePayroll General Manager Andy Roe. “They make up for it with smaller perks, more relaxed working environments and flexible schedules for employees.”
Roe said there’s also an opportunity to expand their offerings to employees by outsourcing health care and 401k benefits.
“If you work with a payroll provider like SurePayroll, you can add these services through your provider. It makes it a lot easier as a business owner, with a tremendous amount on your plate, to implement these types of benefits for employees,” said Roe. “You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.”
Nearly 40 percent of small businesses plan company outings and offsite events for employees and nearly 30 percent provide branded gear such as hats, t-shirts or coffee mugs; while 1 in 10 give out bigger ticket items like theater or sports tickets and 6 percent offer gym memberships.
