1. Enviable Employee Benefits
Ever wonder about the perks you get at your company? Do you think you have it
pretty good? Take a look at these company perks and you might be feeling just a
little envious.
Integrated Archive Systems (IAS)
IAS was founded by women and is certified by the State of California and the
Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a woman-owned
business supplier. IAS is also one of the greenest companies in the country. They
put their money where their mouth is by giving employees of more than one year
$10,000 toward the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. After two years of ownership,
another $10,000 is ponied up toward the purchase of another hybrid for the spouse.
The bennies don’t stop there. All employees are treated to a healthy lunch each day
of mainly organic food choices. The company also has an annual employee
appreciation day, which is considered a holiday.
Qwiki
This San Francisco-based company just launched their cutting edge information
service in January 2011. With big names in technology backing the company,
they’re starting off with great company perks: free catered meals, free snacks
drinks at all hours, gym memberships and laundry service. Yep – valet laundry
service. Drop your grubby clothes off at the office and get them back clean and
pressed. They reimburse commuter expenses, including train tickets and they’ll
buy a bicycle for you if that is what you choose as your commute vehicle. The
culture is young and fun. Employees are provided with mid-day diversions, such as
ping-pong tables, basketball hoops, a DJ booth for company-hosted parties and
other fun workplace attractions.
Reitmeier Mechanical
This medium-sized Oregon-based company goes beyond the regular corporate
benefits. Many employees are working outside in conditions that are often
uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous. Reitmeier provides extensive health
benefits to ensure the continued health and well-being of their employees. They
also offer on-site automotive care for your jalopy if something’s amiss. If you’re
spending a lot of your hard-earned money on gas in your commute (and at today’s
prices, who isn’t?), many employees qualify for reimbursement. Reitmeier is also

2. listed among the Top 100 Green Companies in Oregon, so you can rest easy
knowing that you work at a company that is environmentally minded. Top all this
off with education reimbursement to broaden your skills and you have a company
who is willing to invest in its employees and go the distance for them.
Genentech
A biotechnology company headquartered in San Francisco, Genentech offers its
11,000-plus employees a myriad of advantages. First, when companies are cutting
employee health benefits, Genentech employees who work a mere 20 hours per
week – along with their spouses or domestic partners and children – are eligible.
Cash bonuses for exemplary employees, an on-site fitness center (or free
membership to a local club of choice) are among the more mundane workplace
perks. The real killer bennies include onsite haircuts, weekly car washes, private
rooms for nursing moms, a concierge and travel agency. Company parties are on
the calendar every other month and employees get discounts to area museums and
attractions, including Disneyland. Maybe Genentech can be the other “happiest
place on earth.”
Chesapeake Energy
The second-largest producer of natural gas in the country, Chesapeake Energy,
headquartered in Oklahoma City, boasts a 50-acre campus that is nothing short of
amazing. The lush grounds and rolling hills provide a peaceful environment for
strolling and contain a 72,000 sq-ft fitness center and the Blue Room Theater, a
venue for corporate presentations during the week and movies and other events on
weekends. That’s not all, folks – the campus provides its employees with not just
the regular cafeteria, but several full-blown restaurants serving breakfast, lunch
and take-out for dinner. Choose from deli sandwiches, healthy grilled meats and
fish, ethnic foods, scrumptious desserts and much more. In addition, luncheon
meetings are hosted onsite. Chesapeake Energy boasts an elegant catering service
for its employees’ power lunches.
LoadSpring Solutions
This Lawrence, MA-based provider of cloud-based project management software
was recently selected as a top small company workplace by Inc. Magazine and
Winning Workplaces 2011 for its amazing employee perks. Among health benefits
and other run-of-the-mill offerings, LoadSpring actually encourages its employees
to take vacations, including an extra week and $6,000 toward international

3. vacation travel. This program, called CultureSpring, enables employees to
experience new cultures and promotes a global community viewpoint. On top of
that, the officers of the company still perform functions that other top managers
shun: working the support queue, taking their turn at on-call rotation and providing
accessibility at all hours.
NuStar Energy
This environmentally responsible producer of asphalt and petroleum fuels in San
Antonio, Texas has been on Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work
For in America not just once, but three times and came in third on the Best
Companies to Work for in Texas in 2011. Since its beginnings in 2001, NuStar
boasts an impressive record of employee retention: its rate of voluntary employee
turnover is under 5 percent and has never experienced a layoff. Part of this
employee loyalty is because of the benefits package, which includes a 100 percent
match of 401k contributions and a traditional pension plan. But, it’s also because
of the bonuses, of which all employees are eligible. In addition to a health and
wellness program for all employees, the company funds 100 percent of all health
benefits for dependents of employees, as well.
Azavea
Producers of geographic software based in Philadelphia, Azavea boasts some
unique benefits, including fully-funded healthcare, which means they reimburse
medical expenses not paid for by insurance. Employees are given three weeks’
paid vacation and all federal holidays, but are also given paid time off for disaster
relief, jury duty, voting in elections and maternity and paternity leave – unheard of
in most corporate environments. A generous profit-sharing plan, education
assistance and flexible time is great, but what makes Azavea one of the most
desirable companies to work for is its ten percent research program, which allows
employees to dedicate some of their work time toward a personal research
program.
Dropbox
Another San Francisco company, Dropbox provides free data storage to its
customers and so much more to its employees. Among the amazing benefits,
Dropbox offers flextime, three weeks’ vacation, free lunches and snacks (and
dinner if you’re working late), a complete music studio (drums, amplifiers, P.A.
system, etc.) to help those creative juices flow, Whisky Fridays (we can only

4. imagine) and lots and lots of gaming opportunities. Oh, and they’ll help you with
your next high-end dream computer purchase, too.
Akraya
The only staffing company on this list, this Sunnyvale, CA company offers perks
unlike others of its kind. Akraya admits its culture is in a state of “deliberate
chaos,” but this is a good thing. An Inc. Magazine “Winning Workplace” for 2011,
Akraya encourages and celebrates employee milestones much as Pavlov trained his
dog – by ringing a bell. Recruiting is a cut-throat business in any economy. So, any
time a recruitment order is sold or filled, the press writes about a department or any
positive ground is gained, a bell is rung, which causes celebration and revelry
among the staff. Oh, and the pool tables and free-flowing beer in this high-energy
company are good perks, too.
Netflix
Sure, Netflix employees get a free Netflix subscription – that’s almost worth the
price of admission itself. However, the employment model for this Los Gatos,
company is quite unique. Staff are given almost Carte Blanche freedom to take
time off, express opinions, be creative and make insightful judgment calls. There is
no specified vacation time for salaried workers (in other words, it’s unlimited),
employee reviews are often compiled from peers, and top performers in the
company are rewarded lavishly. For many, the Netflix employee culture is one that
many envy and few can duplicate.