27 Oct Philadelphia Employers Upgrade Workplace Amenities Like Free Food And Other Perks
Philadelphia businesses that are serious about keeping their employees happy at work have more options today than ever before. Providing 
food and refreshments at work remains one of the most important benefits Philadelphia employers can provide their workers. Employers should, however, consider all possible ways to keep workers happy on the job.
Over the last two years, employers have focused more on workplace amenities, reports The Wall Street Journal. Many Philadelphia workplaces are offering free snacks and drinks and some are going far beyond that with places employees can relax and recharge. Such amenities keep employees happy and they keep top-performers from changing jobs.
As companies try to put themselves on a path to faster growth, some are mimicking the workplace practices—and lavish perks—at technology behemoths like Google Inc. and Facebook Inc.
In industries as varied as insurance, electrical contracting and auto loans, managers are spending on office upgrades and amenities like free food and comped vacations, claiming that such trappings elevate jobs in even the more non-glamorous industries. This helps to recruit employees and to convince high performers to stay.
John Bremen, a managing director with human-resources consulting firm Towers Watson, has seen squash courts and lap pools at some companies, and at one bank, rest areas for employees complete with sofas and soothing music—something that wouldn’t have occurred a decade ago.
Alterra Chief Executive David Royce says the writings of Zappos.com Inc. CEO Tony Hsieh prompted his focus on employee happiness, which Hsieh claims breeds corporate success. Royce spent hours scrolling through photos of tech-company offices online, concluding “it’s not fair that they have all the fun.”
Royce says he now invests more than 10% of Alterra’s profit in food, events and amenities each year, and claims it is paying off. Employees hailing from competing pest-control companies increase their sales by 70% in their first full year at Alterra, and 96% stay at the company for at least a full year.
Tech giants have long used recreational workspaces and generous perks to impress recruits and set themselves apart from typical corporate offices. Workplace designers like Primo Orpilla, whose design firm Studio O+A has created offices for Uber Technologies Inc. and Yelp Inc., say they are hearing from finance and contracting firms looking for similarly eye-catching amenities—even as some Silicon Valley companies play down some of the wackier touches.
Scott Lesizza, a founding principal of WorkWell Partners, which sells office furnishings, says about half the clients he meets cite Google as a model for their workplaces.
The Philadelphia office culture is changing, slowly but surely. The economy, the need for a work/life balance, rising costs and stretched budgets all influence the culture of an office. Where some companies will offer employees many perks, others will offer few and try to compensate in other ways.
One Source Refreshment is experiencing this metamorphosis in Philadelphia. One Source Refreshment can meet the future needs with trendier offerings and ways to help locations offer affordable, yet quality perks.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options available to the vending industry, contact your Philadelphia vending partner, One Source Refreshment, at 1-800-549-3190 to discuss your customized break room solution.