8 Companies In Canada With Incredible Job Perks Like Unlimited Vacation & Travel Discounts
Some companies offer four-day workweeks and even free beer! đź‘€
When you're thinking about applying for a new job or accepting an offer, it's not just money that can influence your decision.
Incredible employee benefits that go beyond salaries and typical health care coverage available to workers can often be the deciding factor for job seekers.
This means companies — like Google, Air Canada, VIA Rail and more across Canada — are providing unique job perks to workers to not only retain talent but attract new employees as well.
Those benefits include unlimited vacation days, free meals in offices and travel discounts, just to name a few.
Randstad, a talent company that offers resources to job seekers and employers, has revealed the best employee benefits and perks that Canadians are looking for in 2023.
That includes traditional benefits like medical coverage and paid time off, along with creative perks and benefits.
Some of the most in-demand creative bonuses and benefits right now, according to Randstad, are:
- training to gain new skills
- personal financial assistance (including educational allowance, extended paid parental leave or childcare support)
- free snacks or meals in the office
- a gym membership
- discounts on everyday purchases or trips
- paid time off for their birthday
Also, there are more "highly sought-after perks" that are tied to work, including:
- salary increases in line with market trends
- salary increases that reflect inflation
- performance bonuses
- four-day work week with full-time pay
Randstad noted that, even in 2023, it's still "essential" for companies to give employees the option of remote and hybrid work.
So, let's dive into the incredible employee benefits and job perks like unlimited vacation, pet-friendly workplaces, four-day workweeks and more that companies in Canada are offering right now.
Some of the Google employee perks include a hybrid work model that also offers remote work opportunities, four "work from anywhere" weeks every year and "inspiring" workplaces with on-site meals and snacks, fitness centers, massage programs and fitness, well-being and cooking classes.
There are locations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa and Montreal.
At Google's Toronto office, employees have access to game areas, a cafeteria with free breakfast and lunch, a gym, a theatre for special events, an outdoor patio and kitchens that are stocked with essentials.
Also, conference rooms are named after neighbourhoods in the city and phone rooms are named after Canadian musicians!
Air Canada
Air Canada says that it has "one of the most generous employee travel programs" in the aviation industry.
"Special rates" on airfare are given to employees and their immediate family members starting on their first day of work with the airline.
Also, another Air Canada employee perk is an enhanced travel privilege for workers and anyone of their choosing, not just family members, to travel.
Then, through Air Canada's partners, workers also get discounts on car rentals, hotel accommodations, vacation packages and tour operators.
Blackbird Interactive
Blackbird Interactive, a video game development studio in Vancouver, offers employees a four-day workweek with no changes to salaries.
Here, the shift to four working days instead of five doesn't require employees to work longer hours which means everyone gets an extra 40 paid vacation days per year.
Blackbird Interactive also gives people the choice of working from home, in the studio or a combination of both.
Other employee benefits and perks include a paid parental leave top-up, a fully equipped on-site gym, a dog-friendly studio and more.
Labatt Breweries
Labatt Breweries, a national brewer that distributes brands like Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois, Corona, Mike's Hard Lemonade and NĂśTRL Vodka Soda, has locations in six provinces.
There are breweries, stand-alone craft breweries, a head office, regional "Beer Institutes," sales offices, and warehouses and distribution nationwide.
The brewery told Narcity back in 2021 that employees get an annual allowance to spend on Labatt beer and "Beyond-Beer" products — which means free beer and beverages!
Mars
Mars, which makes products like M&M's, Mars, Snickers, Twix, Starburst, Skittles and more, offers employees a pet-friendly culture at Mars sites worldwide.
That's because the company believes welcoming pets into more places, including offices, makes the world better for pets and then better for everyone.
Also, employees get industry-competitive salaries and benefits packages which include company bonuses and access to an in-house "Mars University."
Though it's not a physical school, Mars University is made up of functional colleges, deployment teams and subject matter experts.
The program is meant to help the company's associates build up their capabilities to meet current and future business needs.
VIA Rail
There are a bunch of VIA Rail employee benefits and perks, including one that involves travel even for workers who don't take train trips as part of their jobs.
The passenger rail service offers access to train passes for employees and their dependents.
Also, a hybrid schedule option is available for workers depending on the type of position they get hired for.
Not only does VIA Rail operate 159 railway stations across the country but it also has four maintenance facilities in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver.
There are customer service, train maintenance and operations, and management and professional careers available.
Shopify
At Shopify, everything is digital-first so employees are hired wherever they're located and they can do their work from anywhere they want.
The company also offers a "Dev Degree program," which is a three to four-year program that allows people to earn a computer science degree while working.
Employees can join a 12-month Apprentice Product Manager program as well, which has been designed to help people gain the skills needed to start a career in product management.
Alida
Alida, a customer experience management and customer insights platform, has locations in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
Tanya Jarrett, the chief people officer at Alida, recently told Narcity that the company tried a four-day workweek but despite the positives, it didn't work for everyone.
That four-day workweek model was then adapted to a different kind of compressed workweek through a new employee benefits program.
It includes unlimited vacation, which means employees can take vacation days whenever and however they want it.
The company has "Summer Fridays" and everyone gets that day off in July and August to help provide more work-life balance in the summer.
Also, Alida offers a permanent and flexible hybrid work arrangement for employees.