Companies offer an array of benefits
from job training to massage to naps
By Christine Selvig • Bankrate.com

As the job market tightens, business owners are loosening up with creative benefits. Even massages and naps can be found in a few businesses' employee benefits packages, according to an annual survey from the Society of Human Resource Management.

The most common personal benefits that companies spring for are those that help the company and the employee -- professional development opportunities, such as job training, and professional memberships.

But employers are also finding other ways to keep their employees happy. Fork over a couple hundred for the company softball team? Sure. Almost half the companies sponsor a sports team. Take off the tie? No problem. More than half of the 742 firms that participated in the society's annual survey have one casual day per week, and 42 percent make every day a casual dress day.

A few are getting more creative, picking up the tab for such perks as massage therapy (8 percent), concierge services (4 percent) and naps on company time (1 percent).

Falling just below the 1 percent threshold -- animal health insurance.

How does your personal benefits package stack up?

-- Posted: Feb. 23, 2000