_posts/2016-10-12-benefits-are-the-bedrock-of-great-companyculture--savvy-inbox.markdown
---
title: Benefits Are the Bedrock of Great Company Culture | Savvy Inbox
date: 2016-10-12 10:43:00 -05:00
tags:
- work
- work life
layout: post
custom_type: link
link_url: https://savvyinbox.com/benefits-are-the-bedrock-of-great-company-culture-10c94bb81cb2#.nyopznw8e
---
Paul Farnell is on a roll these days:
> In the early days of running a startup, it’s hard to focus on things that don’t directly lead to revenue. The environment is plastic, so the little things you do can establish the foundation of a great culture. Great benefits start with the intangibles, so any effort you make to let people know you care about their well-being is appreciated.
Our industry's misguided focus on being data-driven and seeing a return on investment has lead many companies to be short-sighted in this regard. If it's numbers you want, interestingly (and not surprisingly) there's a financial case to be made for great benefits:
> Speaking of money, there is a financial case to be made for great benefits. You can measure benefits against employee retention to see if you’re doing it right.
>
> Lazlo Bock, head of People Operations at Google, explained the causal relationship between benefits and employee retention on the [Note to Self](http://www.wnyc.org/story/google-test-case-gender-bias/) podcast. A few years ago, Google had a problem where a lot of new mothers weren’t coming back after maternity leave. As you might imagine, it’s really disruptive, time-consuming and expensive to replace great people.
>
> Google extended maternity leave by two more months (still at full pay) and boom — their problem was solved. Retention rates improved by 50%, new mothers had more time at home *and* the company was saving money.
Sad this has to be said isn't it? You treat people well, they'll feel like their life is better by working at your company. *They'll stay*. Now you don't have to use your precious money that you love so much to find other people. It's so logical, I don't understand how companies don't get it. Businesses that don't treat their employees well prove to be working against their own interests.