Perks aren't everything when you're looking for a new job. All the free, gourmet lunches and beer taps in the world will never make up for a job you hate. Still, an awesome perk package can be the difference between an OK job and one you look forward to getting up and going to every morning. Besides, carefully thought-out perks are a great way for a company to show they care about their employees. Here are five NYC tech companies doing it right:
What they do: Newsela teaches people how to read by using articles from local and national newspapers. The result is literate people who know what's going on in the world.
What they do for employees: Newsela gives new employees 15 days of paid vacation, which goes up to 25 days after three years. That means you can take a three-week vacation, completely guilt free, in your first year. They also take care of employees with children with a generous parental-leave policy.
What they do: It sucks being mortal, but it sucks a good deal less with health insurance. Oscar is busy improving the health insurance industry using technology, design and data.
Why you’ll enjoy working there: Obviously, Oscar takes care of their employees with stellar health insurance. But, then they go further, offering free meals, snacks and drinks. They even have cold brew coffee on tap. Try and find perks like that at other insurance companies.
What they do: Noom makes fitness programs for smartphones. Their Noom Weight Loss Coach lives on users' phones and helps them lose weight.
What they do for employees: Noom is all about living a healthy lifestyle, and that belief extends to how they treat employees. To keep everyone healthy, Noom offers a wellness budget, which can be spent on things like gym memberships, fitness equipment and the like. They also have an in-house chef that prepares healthy, gourmet meals every day. It's easy to eat healthy when someone else is doing all the work.
What they do: Reonomy runs a research platform for commercial real estate investors and lenders. Basically, they use sophisticated technology to make sense of the notoriously complex commercial real estate market.
What they do for employees: Amongst other things, Reonomy employees get catered lunches, a generous parental leave policy, a gym reimbursement program, and Citi Bike membership. And, uniquely, they get a company-provided premium Spotify account.
What they do: Thrillist's aim is to show people how to spend their time and money. They're a lifestyle guide for the modern American.
How the take care of employees: Thrillist observes most federal holidays, but then they got creative. As a company they celebrate things like National Hangover Day (a.k.a. Super Bowl Monday) by giving employees Gatorade and a free breakfast. St. Patty's Day calls for a feast of corned beef, and Halloween always brings some sort of festivity. Then, there are things like food and drink tastings, Bagel Fridays and Summer Fridays. Oh, and a dog-friendly office. And a rotating tap of craft beer.
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