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Fantasy employee benefits

This article came from the HR magazine

HR magazine asked a selection of HR professionals to name their fantasy benefit for staff. Some are achievable, and they don't all involve loads of money...

Fantasy employee benefits - Dreams can come true. Mary Cowlett, 30 October 2009. From HR magazine.

ANN PICKERING, HR director, Telefonica O2 UK

Your dream benefit? "A solution that took flexible working to the next level - perhaps some kind of advanced mobile phone that enabled people to transport themselves between home and work at the click of a button."

Can it be found? In the realms of Star Trek, yes. In the real world, we're still waiting for our personal transporter room.

What was the last addition to your perks package of which you are most proud?

"A 'staycation' promotion - a bespoke online summer discount store that enables O2 employees to make the most of the summer by purchasing a range of discounted products and services, from hotels and holidays to cheap theme park and theatre tickets. The store was launched at the beginning of August and, in the first two weeks alone, more than 7,000 of our employees logged onto the site."

JULIE MACDONALD, HR director, Pizza Express

Your dream benefit? "To take all of our 9,500 people to Italy for a weekend to learn to see and sample the fantastic produce Italy has to offer."

Can it be found? Mama mia, you might have to dig deep. Tastes of Italy (www.tastesofitaly.co.uk) estimates that flights, accommodation, business facilities and a few extras, including visits to local pasta and tomato producers for 9,500 staff would come to a cool £15 million. We challenged P&MM (www.p-mm.co.uk) to see what it could do. It said it would brand the whole event 'Challenge Pizza - Size Matters!' with an attempt to break the record for the world's largest pizza in a local football stadium. For around £3,000 per head, a three-day extravaganza could include trips to Capri and Vesuvius and a pizza and party with fireworks.

What was the last addition to your perks package of which you are most proud?

"An on-brand employee opinion survey from Talent Toolbox. People not only had their say but also, if they completed it, they got to see two of our senior executives playing air guitar and to vote who was the best."

To read more go to HR magazine.

2 November 2009