This is a work in progress and will be updated.
Jobs in my particular discipline (i.e., not outdoor equipment manufacture or even outdoor-oriented) don’t generally come with the same kinds of perks that some of these companies have. I’m curious why that is, and I wonder if, by incorporating some of these into my current office environment, my employer could attract more talent…
In no particular order, here are the workplace characters that I would enjoy and would work in my particular situation:
- Showers. I’m a bicycle commuter, but heading out on a road ride from the office and being able to clean up afterward would make me a happy puppy. Seen at: Strava, pretty much everyone else.
- Alternative transportation perks. Credit for not clogging up the streets with more cars and the air with more pollution, in the form of time off or other currency. Seen at: Mindbody, Patagonia, Deckers Brands.
- Gym on site. I like being active, and what better way to keep employees healthy than to give them a place to work out? Seen at: Sportif.
- Dogs at work. I didn’t grow up with dogs, but now that I have one, it would be nice to bring him to work once in a while. Seen at: Backbone Media, Ibex, Hydroflask, Smith Optics.
- Kids at work. As in, onsite daycare for when you’re really busy and cool enough coworkers to be okay with kids running around when you aren’t.
- Flexible hours. Modification: Unlimited personal time. Seen at: Pretty much everyone on the list. FullContact apparently gives you a vacation stipend of some sort.
- Social consciousness. The belief that we should be helping people who aren’t normally within our sphere of influence. Seen at: Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s.
- Environmental consciousness. The belief that what we do should be good for the planet. In the oil and gas sphere, this is a rough one to find, but I am confident that with extraction efficiency improvements to the n+1 degree, coupled with greater investment in alternative energy engineering solutions and conservation, we can do our part to improve the world. It’s just so incremental sometimes. /soapbox. Seen at: Patagonia, Namaste Solar.
- Indoor bicycle storage. Security, convenience, and reduce wear-and-tear.
- Stock ownership, profit sharing, or co-op agreement. Seen at: Deschutes Brewery, StoneAge.
- Informal office space. Set things up the way you like, work from where you like, spread out, play games (do pullups), whatever. Seen at: Hydroflask.
- Bar, or at least not a “dry” workplace. I’m not advocating drunkenness on the job, but sometimes a drink at the end of the day can fuel interesting geological discussions. Seen at: Omelet.
- Active employees. Seen at : Infinite Energy (notable because this is a “traditional” company), a lot of others.
- Snacks. Who doesn’t like snacks, or fizzy drinks, or coffee? Seen at: Pacific Market International.