Employee benefits: Perks and recreation

Birthday cakes, choirs, flexible hours, running clubs, even honey produced by the company’s very own bees… the perks offered by TV’s best employers are as varied, and inventive, as some of the content they make.

It’s testament to the creativity of the industry that some of the smaller qualifying companies offer incentives that are as inventive and appealing as some of the most well-resourced super-indies and global companies.

To get things started, we posed a question to company bosses: “If we asked your employees, ‘What three things does your employer do for you that you love?’, what would they say?”

Food and drink featured strongly. “Biscuit time at 4pm,” offered Blink Films, while Bloomberg EMEA pointed to its famous ‘pantry’: a spread of free snacks and beverages, including hot breakfasts, avail able for staff and guests around the clock in all 150+ of its global offices. Talkback, Hat Trick and Princess all suggested regular staff drinks, while Dragonfly, Icon and Storyvault highlighted parties and social events.

But for others, company culture and reputation were their biggest draw. “We make the best shows,” said Kudos, while Keo pointed to the “challenging, important and award-winning” nature of its productions.

Across the board, away days, staff picnics and Christmas parties all figured strongly and few waste the opportunity to turn staff screenings and wrap parties into rewarding social sessions.

But many also see the benefits of helping staff stay healthy and 12 of our companies provide facilities to support exercise and fitness. These range from basics to encourage healthy commuting, such as cycle storage and showers, to cycle-to-work schemes – standard at 10 companies and part of the benefits package at three more – and discounted or free gym membership, which is standard at three companies and part of the benefits at four more.

Icon says it offers table tennis as both a healthy activity and an aid to “creative thinking”. A table can also be found in Princess Productions’ games room, alongside table football and a Nintendo Wii. The Endemol Shine indie is big on sports, with its own running club and football matches, as are Lion TV, which offers vibe training; MG Alba, where staff meet for walks on ‘fit Friday’; and Bloomberg, which covers the full cost of league fees in sports from basketball and golf, to badminton and cricket.

Bloomberg also prides itself on promoting mental and physical wellbeing, pointing to its onsite medical services, including a nurse and a physiotherapist, its mother’s room to support women returning to work from maternity leave, and its counselling helpline (something also on offer at Dragonfly and The Garden).

Icon, meanwhile, recently achieved Wellbeing Charter accreditation, and provides leaflets and information on health and wellbeing and support on eating healthily and incorporating exercise in daily life. Its own commitments include on-site yoga and ‘Souper Wednesday’ – subsidised soup designed to encourage employees to have a healthy lunch away from their desks.