¶ … Human Resources Management Noe, Hollenbeck, gerhart, Wright.
The article "Hide the Doritos! Here Comes HR" provides insight into how corporations are attempting to battle rising health care costs (caused by unhealthy employees) by providing healthy snack options, reducing the amount of junk food available in the workplace, and raising the price of junk food and lowering that of healthier options in their cafeterias. Most of the attention is focused on tactics employed by Google, Microsoft, and Yamaha. These companies are attempting to continue to be generous with their food offerings, but they do not want to be responsible for making employees less healthy because that would be bad for their bottom line.
In what ways does the value of providing some of the nonfinancial perks like those discussed in this article provide a greater boost to employee morale relative to the cash equivalent of the perk that might instead be given as a raise in pay?
The value of nonfinancial perks is...
Employees want to feel like their organization appreciates them not only as a commodity, but as an individual. Money, though useful, can be seen as cold and unfeeling. Food, for example, is something that is nourishing. It's what our parents provide us to nurture and make us feel secure. It's also a social, communal experience to share a meal with coworkers.
2) How do concerns regarding employee wellness change the way one views various nonfinancial perks like those discussed in this article?
The problem with providing food as a nonfinancial perk is that because it's a perk employees feel that they should take advantage, and even indulge in the food supplied. They may actually eat differently or with less regard to health than they would at home because food is being provided as a kind of compensation. Other perks can be provided to promote health, as the article mentions "subsidized cholesterol drugs, free gym memberships, and…
