By Jonathan Schoonhoven

William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, has commonly been viewed as an allegory for Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and what happens as a group descends down that pyramid. Less commonly, but more applicably, it has been viewed as an allegory for the poorly managed office and the disturbing consequences of not meeting the essential needs of your employees. The story, if you can remember, chronicles a frightening dystopia of children who, without an adult around to rule them, quickly descend into the most violent kind of anarchy. If you manage a large office, this should sound familiar. Fortunately, if your conch is still intact, it is not too late to rescue Piggy and escape back to civilization on your boat full of employee benefits. Seriously though — do not break the conch.


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Physiological

Since proprietors of opium dens and sweatshops do not usually bother perusing employee benefits blogs, we will go ahead and assume that your employees have shelter and clothes pretty much covered. Congratulations. Now just as food is the most basic of all human essentials, it is also the most essential of all employee benefits. Providing good meals to your employees is probably the easiest, cheapest and most efficient way to reward your workers. Ordering as a group from a nearby restaurant, catered meetings, and having a good supply of snacks on hand will go a long way towards engaging employees which, according to a landmark study by Gallup has a massive ROI. As far as health goes, reward your employees and increase your own productivity by helping employees join local fitness centers, provide them on-site health screenings and arrange for team-building group workouts.

Coincidentally, BetterWorks provides all these services and more. Learn more or sign up easily today.

Safety

Again, we will take for granted that you are managing in an office, rather than the jungle, and assume your employees are relatively safe from tiger attacks and so forth. Employee safety in the modern age is not so much a perk as an expectation. That said, there is always room for improvement. Some practical workplace-safety benefits are simple things like ergonomic chairs to prevent back problems and wrist-rests that prevent carpal tunnel. These days though, the most important safety-related benefit is a system that actively prevents harassment on the job. Harassment of any kind is the nearest modern relative to tiger attacks: it is just as psychologically damaging but twice as likely to end in a costly settlement. Do all the obvious things to prevent it, but most importantly, be present to your workforce, have a system for reporting incidents and work hard to ensure that your employees are safe from any and all harm.

Social

“Teammates”, “cast members”, “soldiers” — whatever your favorite euphemism is for “paid employees,” the ways we refer to our workforce reveals how we would like them to function. Teamwork has been a buzzword in the business world for some time now, but the practice of team-building is still stuck in the dark ages. Even as you read this, some misguided employer is carpooling disgruntled employees out of the office and into some unlikely scenario where they will have to depend on each other to "succeed". More than likely this will end in a team-based mutiny. Instead, try out the new adage, “playing together makes teamwork the better,” or, if you don’t like rhyming, “throw a really good party.” Good food, good drinks and a bangin’ (but non-offensive) playlist will break down barriers and encourage teamwork in a way that tug-of-war never will. In-between parties, encourage employees to eat and order together from restaurants and continue the group workouts recommended under the physiological heading.

Esteem

Esteem is the difference between having friends and having acquaintances. In the book, it is the difference between Ralph and Piggy: a choice between escaping the island and being squished under a rock. It is no different in the office. Employees who believe they are worthless will behave as worthless employees while valued employees will behave as valuable employees. That is why it is important to reward good efforts effectively. Not with perfunctory corporate esteem programs like employee-of-the-month (which this study by the IRF found “no evidence” to support the efficacy of), but rather by giving them fun, personal, tangible gifts. When an employee does an exceptional job, reward them with a meal from a nice restaurant, an appointment with a masseuse, a day at the spa, dry cleaning, a salon appointment — any of the things that everyone wants but rarely buy for themselves. It is a proven fact that low self-esteem is impossible to have while enjoying a massage “on the company.”

Conveniently, with BetterWorks you can make all these things available to your employees and enjoy a corporate rate while doing so. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Self-Actualization

Few people are able to define “self-actualization,” even though it means just what it says it does. To self-actualize is to become one’s actual self. Picture a mid-eighties Bill Murray breaking out of his cynical shell at the end of one of those romantic comedies, but in a good way. Self-actualization, of course, is not something you can simply inflict, en-masse on your workforce with a good employee benefits program. However, providing workshops and advanced training to your employees can catalyze the process greatly. And according to this study by the Kelly Global Workforce Index, employees already "overwhelmingly" prefer training above all other benefits. That is, self-enrichment directed towards self-actualization is already what employees demand, “overwhelmingly.” Let them have it. When your entire workforce is enjoying the view from atop a tall pyramid of employee benefits, you and they will have Maslow to thank.