Professional membership reimbursement most popular perk: Survey

Mobile phones, employee parking, education grants also common

Professional membership reimbursement most popular perk: Survey
Eighty-six per cent of employers offer mobile phones, according to a survey by the Conference Board of Canada. Shutterstock

The most common perks given out by Canadian employers are professional membership reimbursement, mobile phones, employee parking and education grants, according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada.

Ninety per cent of the 324 employers surveyed said they offer professional membership reimbursement and 86 per cent offer mobile phones. More than three-quarters (76 per cent) offer employee parking, followed by employee education grants (60 per cent) and car allowances (56 per cent).

“Offering a variety of perks adds both monetary and psychological value that may give an employer an advantage over their peers. Perks can be highly valuable to prospective employees and can play an important role in an organization’s attraction and recruitment efforts,” said Monica Haberl, research associate at the Conference Board of Canada. “In particular, perks may be more attractive to younger employees who are looking for greater flexibility and work-life balance.”

Perquisite allowances tend to be the highest-value perks, with an average annual value of more than $13,300 per eligible employee, said the Perks at Work report. Car allowances are another high-value perk, averaging more than $8,250 per employee annually.

The most common perks offered to all employees tend to be those available on location at an organization’s office, such as on-site fitness centres and on-site child care. Other common perks include education grants for employees and their dependents, public transit passes, financial planning assistance and fitness reimbursements.

These range in value from an average of about $475 per year for fitness reimbursements to just over $2,300 annually for employee education grants, said the Conference Board.

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