Two-fifths(41%) of employees who are offered time off to take care of new pets, or 'pawternity', agree that they are more productive as a result, according to research by Flexioffices.
The research, which surveyed 2,000 UK employees in January 2020, also found that 41% of those employees able to access yoga in the workplace find this makes them more productive, followed by 39% who stated that free childcare benefits increased their productivity levels.
Among those employees that receive all three of those benefits, 40% stated that the benefits package provided by their employer is of an exceptional standard.
More than a third (39%) of respondents whose organisations held staff parties and team building activities stated that these benefitted productivity, closely followed by 38% of employees with access to health checks from their employer.
Just under half (47%) of respondents believed that spending time with a pet would decrease stress, closely followed by yoga at 46%.
Among those respondents currently receiving each benefit, employees would consider leaving their job if pawternity leave (36%), yoga (28%) and free drinks (23%) were taken away from them.
Michael Dubicki, business director at Flexioffices, said: “Our research indicates it’s not always the traditional perks like personal development and bonus pay that provide the greatest return on investment, and it’s time employers start looking outside the workplace and look at how perks can have a positive effect on their employees' lives in general.
“For employee, engagement and wellbeing; employees want to have fun and be able to relax, after all, work is where we spend most of our time.
“The industry landscape is changing for employee benefits, providing more tangible perks that have a direct and sometimes instant impact on lives are what people want.”
Joe Wiggins, director at Glassdoor, added: “While benefits are a great way to make employees feel appreciated, businesses should not rely on them alone to keep employees satisfied enough to stay with the company in the long-run. Rather, they must look at all elements of their offering - from training and development, through to career progression and opportunities - and regularly refine their offering based on employee feedback.”
