- Tech companies used to provide generous perks to staff before layoffs hit the industry.
- The cost-cutting measures have caused some tech firms to cut back on employee perks.
- Here are some of the best office perks that employees have enjoyed in recent years.
The tech industry was known for its extravagant perks on top of eye-watering salaries, but now some of the main players are scaling back.
Big Tech companies such as Google and Meta have tried to cut costs by dropping perks and restricting work travel. They’ve also laid off thousands of workers between them.
From lavish lunches to on-site pampering, here are eight of the most indulgent company perks tech workers have received over the years.
1. Google paid for its employees to go skiing
Google used to treat its employees to ski trips to Vermont, Insider previously reported.
A few years ago, Google had “fun budgets” for teams, according to Zac Bowling, an engineer who was recently laid off after eight years. The historic allowed teams to spend money on things like team-building activities, alcohol, or a refrigerator for the office, he said.
Sometimes, Google would pull the fun budgets and use them for a company skiing vacation, Bowling told Insider in an interview in January.
“They don’t allow that anymore,” he said. “Perks have definitely become less exclusive to Google, and less interesting.”
CEO Sundar Pichai announced in January it was laying off around 12,000 employees.
2. Twitter’s extravagant lunches
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has become infamous for its drastic cost-cutting. After completing his $44 billion acquisition in October, Musk cut thousands of staff, sold off Twitter’s property, and slashed benefits for remaining employees.
One of the perks reduced under Musk’s early reign was Twitter’s free food, a benefit he claimed was costing the company $400 per meal because “almost no one” was in the office.
According to an email sent to Twitter employees and seen by Insider in November, Twitter’s free food and drink was transitioning to a “partially paid” model. In November, a Twitter employee told The New York Times the cafeteria offered two types of macaroni and cheese and a salad bar, but was missing previous items such as grilled shrimp.
3. Google staff could enjoy on-site massages
Google is known for having on-site gyms and masseuses on some of its campuses. However, some employees may be going without these perks after recent layoffs.
According to court filings, 27 massage therapists were let go from Google’s Mountain View office, two were let go from a Los Angeles campus, and one each in San Bruno and Irvine.
4. Apple hosted live performances from pop stars
Apple treated its employees to regular parties, sometimes known as “beer bashes.” Apple is the only major tech giant that avoided mass layoffs recently.
Employees were reportedly treated to free beer and food at the parties, as well as occasional private concerts by famous artists such as Maroon 5, Demi Lovato, and Gwen Stefani.
5. Google offered financial aid to spouses of deceased workers
Forbes reported in 2016 that if an employee died while still working at Google, the tech company would help take care of their family.
According to the report, which was sourced from Glassdoor, Google will continue to pay a deceased employee’s spouse half of their salary for 10 years — plus an extra $1,000 per month for each child.
6. Airbnb pays employees to travel
Airbnb gives each employee a $2,000 travel credit each year.
The perk is paid out on a quarterly basis and can be used to book stays on Airbnb’s platform anywhere in the world. It also announced last year that employees were allowed to work from anywhere.
7. Meta provides on-site healthcare
Meta installed on-site dental and healthcare at its California headquarters. The company, which laid off 13% of its workforce in November, partnered with Crossover Health to create a Wellness Center in Menlo Park.
The perk is listed on the company’s benefits page as being for “employee use only.” Meta, along with Apple, also pays for a portion of their employees’ egg-freezing cost.
However, Meta in December said it planned to cut down on its Life@ benefit, which covers mental health costs and work-life balance needs, Insider reported. The company also scrapped its Lyft subsidy so employees will no longer get free Lyft rides.
8. Asana’s $10,000 workplace furnishing
Asana staff can splash out on a swanky office desk, the latest desktop computer, or a comfortable chair thanks to the company’s $10,000 allowance for workplace furniture, per media reports.
The US software company also offers employees organic home-cooked meals twice a day, per Forbes.
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