The more I read Economics blogs, the more I get a sense that this is actually the right thing to do. Don't give your employees perks; just turn every perk into a dollar in their pocket, and be very flexible to how they use the money. If they want to use part of their paycheck to buy a dual-monitor setup, let them (in fact, just give them an empty desk and $2000 and tell them to buy their own workstation.) If they want to pay their boss to thank them when they do good work, let them. If they want to buy a foosball table for the break room, let them set up a WePay arrangement with the other employees to get one. Otherwise, if they don't care about those things, let them remain dollars, rather than being unappreciated sunk costs.
I'd gladly take a pay cut if that's what it takes to increase the thank you's and make the place more enjoyable--especially if I have to spend most of my day among the same strangers.
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Peggy Olson: "You never say thank you!"
Don Draper: "That's what the money is for!"
The more I read Economics blogs, the more I get a sense that this is actually the right thing to do. Don't give your employees perks; just turn every perk into a dollar in their pocket, and be very flexible to how they use the money. If they want to use part of their paycheck to buy a dual-monitor setup, let them (in fact, just give them an empty desk and $2000 and tell them to buy their own workstation.) If they want to pay their boss to thank them when they do good work, let them. If they want to buy a foosball table for the break room, let them set up a WePay arrangement with the other employees to get one. Otherwise, if they don't care about those things, let them remain dollars, rather than being unappreciated sunk costs.
I'd gladly take a pay cut if that's what it takes to increase the thank you's and make the place more enjoyable--especially if I have to spend most of my day among the same strangers.