The goal of every motivation and retention strategy is to keep the valuable employees of a company from leaving to start their own business or go to work for the competition.
\r\nTech giants like Google, Apple, and Facebook are known to go well beyond their way in keeping their employees happy through the use of various motivation and retention strategies.
\r\nThey have to. With enormous profits are well aware that their success rests on the shoulders of the people who work for them.
\r\nIf they don’t work hard to keep their talent happy and satisfied, the most valuable parts of the company can go and work for any of their many competitors.
\r\nRelated Article: Awesome Employee Benefits: Attract and Retain Talent With No or Little Cost to Your Business
\r\nTech giants offer a lot of benefits for their employees that should make them happy to come to work every day, feel valued and listened to, and increase their loyalty to the company.
\r\nMany of these benefits can be implemented in other companies as well, at least to some extent, so for anyone wondering how to keep their best employees happy, here’s a rundown of a few of the methods the giants of the tech industry are using.
\r\nLet’s start with the basics. Giving employees a chance to buy stock in the company is an effective way of reinforcing their sense of being a part of the enterprise.
\r\nCompany stock as part of a rewards scheme works perfectly for top management. Tech companies know this, so companies like Qualcomm, Salesforce, and Microsoft offer this option to their employees.
\r\nTech companies offer different kinds of 401ks. eBay, Qualcomm and Intuit offer a 401k match, for example.
\r\nBut no matter what kind of pension plan a company offers to its employees, it will go a long way in letting employees know the company thinks about their future.
\r\nMost of the developed countries in the world mandate that new parents, specifically new mothers, receive some kind of paid maternal leave.
\r\nWhile the United States dosen't have such legislation, a lot of the big tech companies have instated paid maternal and paternal leave.
\r\nYahoo has a reputation for having one of the best paid parental leave policies in the industry. Google gives mothers five months of paid leave with all benefits, and fathers up to 12 weeks. Facebook offers four months of leave and Zuckerberg made use of that option.
\r\nWhile paid maternal and paternal leave seems like something that would hurt a company’s financial bottom line, scaling this measure to the amount of time a company could afford would be a good start.
\r\nThe very basic health insurance plan is okay, but tech giants usually offer their employees something more.
\r\nMost of the big ones offer at least dental insurance along with general health insurance plans.
\r\nVision healthcare is also included, as is family coverage. Oracle has gone as far as to include mental healthcare in their package.
\r\nRelated Article: A Good Investment: How Keeping Employees Happy Benefits a Business
\r\nA big part of retention and motivation is allowing employees to grow professionally by helping them acquire new knowledge.
\r\nCompanies regularly organize employee trainings, but the tech industry has another thing in mind, they offer tuition assistance to their employees.
\r\nMicrosoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and eBay all offer either tuition aid or tuition reimbursement.
\r\nGoogle has a well-known 80-20 rule, which states that its employees can spend up to 20 percent of their time at work working on their personal projects.
\r\nThese projects don’t need to have anything to do with Google or tech, their subject is entirely up for the employee to decide.
\r\nGiving employees room to work on something they are personally passionate about while they are at work is a way to ensure they like going to work even more.
\r\nOther tech companies have other policies which aim to give their employees time to devote themselves to something that’s not in their job description.
\r\nFor example, eBay offers its employees a sabbatical after five years of working for the company. Intel has a similar policy that kicks in after four or seven years of working at the company.
\r\nEvery little thing a company can do to make their employees more comfortable counts.
\r\nFree coffee, free gym membership, performance related bonuses are some of the things companies like Twitter, Intel, and VMWare offering.
\r\nMicrosoft offers its employees a childcare plan, and so does Cisco, and some companies are offering reimbursement of travel expenses.
\r\nOf course, going as far as offering employees free dry cleaning, which is what Facebook does, is also an option, the only limit is the company’s creativity and the feasibility of the costs of the perks.
\r\nRelated Article: Employee Benefits: Creative Additions that Don’t Kill the Payroll Budget
\r\nHaving a strong HR department in the company is one of the key things to having successful motivation and retention programs.
\r\nGoogle has done something better, they have a sector called people analytics, with the sole job of figuring out what they employees desire.
\r\nWhile not every company can create a similar teams, every company should take the lesson and work actively towards making their employees happy.
\r\nThe philosophy of most tech giants is that a happy employee is a good team member. But a happy employee is also a motivated worker who’s in for the long run.
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_f7bf43d36a7350b890a3ca5c81bd5710","lastModified":"2016-04-07T14:00:00.000Z","published":"2016-04-07T14:00:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"The goal of every motivation and retention strategy is to keep the valuable employees of a company from leaving for the competition.","template":"v1","title":"Follow the Leader: 7 Employee Motivation and Retention Strategies Used by Tech Giants","type":"article","author":{"avatar":null,"bio":"Michael Rogers is the Operations Director of USInsuranceAgents.com. With over 5 years of experience and knowledge in the insurance industry, Michael contributes his level of expertise as a leader and an agent to educate and secure coverage for thousands of clients.","name":"Michael Rogers","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"","linkedin":"","twitter":"https://twitter.com/usinsuranceagts","website":"https://usinsuranceagents.com/"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"Old BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/undefined","profile":{"company":"Broomstick Productions, Inc","jobTitle":"CEO","website":""}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Human Resources","slug":"human-resources"},"sub":{"name":"Employees","slug":"employees"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"The goal of every motivation and retention strategy is to keep the valuable employees of a company from leaving for the competition.","title":"Employee Motivation/Retention Strategies - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[],"json":[{"component":"p","children":["The goal of every motivation and retention strategy is to keep the valuable employees of a company from leaving to start their own business or go to work for the competition."]},{"component":"p","children":["Tech giants like Google, Apple, and Facebook are known to go well beyond their way in keeping their employees happy through the use of ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/company-culture/"},"children":["various motivation and retention strategies"]},"."]},{"component":"p","children":["They have to. ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.forbes.com/sites/liyanchen/2015/05/11/the-worlds-largest-tech-companies-apple-beats-samsung-microsoft-google/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["With enormous profits"]}," are well aware that their success rests on the shoulders of the people who work for them."]},{"component":"p","children":["If they don’t work hard to keep their talent happy and satisfied, the most valuable parts of the company can go and work for any of their many competitors."]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Related Article:"]}," ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"http://www.business.com/company-culture/awesome-employee-benefits-attract-and-retain-talent-with-no-or-little-cost-to-your-business/"},"children":["Awesome Employee Benefits: Attract and Retain Talent With No or Little Cost to Your Business"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["Tech giants offer a lot of benefits for their employees that should make them happy to come to work every day, feel valued and listened to, and increase their loyalty to the company."]},{"component":"p","children":["Many of these benefits can be implemented in other companies as well, at least to some extent, so for anyone wondering how to keep their best employees happy, here’s a rundown of a few of the methods the giants of the tech industry are using."]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Employee Stock Purchase and Pension"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["Let’s start with the basics. Giving employees a chance to buy stock in the company is an effective way of reinforcing their sense of being a part of the enterprise."]},{"component":"p","children":["Company stock as part of a rewards scheme works perfectly for top management. Tech companies know this, so companies like Qualcomm, Salesforce, and Microsoft ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.glassdoor.com/Benefits/Microsoft-Employee-Stock-Purchase-Plan-US-BNFT15_E1651_N1.htm","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["offer this option"]}," to their employees."]},{"component":"p","children":["Tech companies offer different kinds of 401ks. eBay, Qualcomm and Intuit offer a 401k match, for example."]},{"component":"p","children":["But no matter what kind of pension plan a company offers to its employees, it will go a long way in letting employees know the company thinks about their future."]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Maternal and Paternal Leave"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["Most of the developed countries in the world mandate that new parents, specifically new mothers, receive some kind of paid maternal leave."]},{"component":"p","children":["While the United States dosen't have such legislation, a lot of the big tech companies have instated paid maternal and paternal leave."]},{"component":"p","children":["Yahoo has a reputation for having one of the best paid parental leave policies in the industry. Google gives mothers five months of paid leave with all benefits, and fathers up to 12 weeks. Facebook offers four months of leave and ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://fortune.com/2015/11/20/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-paternity-leave/","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Zuckerberg made use of that option"]},"."]},{"component":"p","children":["While paid maternal and paternal leave seems like something that would hurt a company’s financial bottom line, scaling this measure to the amount of time a company could afford would be a good start."]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Health Insurance"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["The very basic health insurance plan is okay, but tech giants usually offer their employees something more."]},{"component":"p","children":["Most of the big ones offer at least dental insurance along with ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://usinsuranceagents.com/health-insurance","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["general health insurance plans"]},"."]},{"component":"p","children":["Vision healthcare is also included, as is family coverage. Oracle has gone as far as to include ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.oraclebenefits.com/ESS/Health/OracleWelcome","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["mental healthcare in their package"]},". "]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Related Article:"]}," ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"http://www.business.com/company-culture/a-good-investment-how-keeping-employees-happy-benefits-a-business/"},"children":["A Good Investment: How Keeping Employees Happy Benefits a Business"]}]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Tuition Assistance"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["A big part of retention and motivation is allowing employees to grow professionally by helping them acquire new knowledge."]},{"component":"p","children":["Companies regularly organize ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/human-resources/"},"children":["employee trainings"]},", but the tech industry has another thing in mind, they offer tuition assistance to their employees."]},{"component":"p","children":["Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and eBay all offer either tuition aid or tuition reimbursement."]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Encourage Employees to Work on Personal Projects"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["Google has a well-known 80-20 rule, which states that its employees can spend up to ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://recruiterbox.com/blog/20-googles-innovative-approach-to-staff-productivity/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["20 percent of their time at work"]}," working on their personal projects."]},{"component":"p","children":["These projects don’t need to have anything to do with Google or tech, their subject is entirely up for the employee to decide."]},{"component":"p","children":["Giving employees room to work on something they are personally passionate about while they are at work is a way to ensure they like going to work even more."]},{"component":"p","children":["Other tech companies have other policies which aim to give their employees time to devote themselves to something that’s not in their job description."]},{"component":"p","children":["For example, eBay offers its employees a sabbatical after five years of working for the company. Intel has a similar policy that kicks in after four or seven years of working at the company."]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Some Small Perks"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["Every little thing a company can do to make their employees more comfortable counts."]},{"component":"p","children":["Free coffee, free gym membership, performance related bonuses are some of the things companies like Twitter, Intel, and VMWare offering."]},{"component":"p","children":["Microsoft offers its employees a childcare plan, and so does Cisco, and some companies are offering reimbursement of travel expenses."]},{"component":"p","children":["Of course, going as far as ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/04/03/facebooks-12-most-fantastic-employee.html","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["offering employees free dry cleaning"]},", which is what Facebook does, is also an option, the only limit is the company’s creativity and the feasibility of the costs of the perks."]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Related Article:"]}," ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"http://www.business.com/human-resources/employee-benefits-creative-additions-that-dont-kill-the-payroll-budget/"},"children":["Employee Benefits: Creative Additions that Don’t Kill the Payroll Budget"]}]},{"component":"h3","children":[{"component":"em","children":["Work Actively in Making Employees Happier"]}]},{"component":"p","children":["Having a strong HR department in the company is one of the key things to having successful motivation and retention programs."]},{"component":"p","children":["Google has done something better, they have a sector called ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/articles/understanding-hr-reporting/"},"children":["people analytics"]},", with the sole job of figuring out what they employees desire."]},{"component":"p","children":["While not every company can create a similar teams, every company should take the lesson and work actively towards making their employees happy."]},{"component":"p","children":["The philosophy of most tech giants is that a happy employee is a good team member. But a happy employee is also a motivated worker who’s in for the long run."]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":{"sponsorType":"no-sponsor","name":null,"thumbnail":null,"bio":null,"slug":null,"status":null,"social":{"website":null,"linkedin":null,"twitter":null,"facebook":null}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/5fb/c04635a215ee56e8b4567/1500-0-","caption":"Ridofranz / Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[{"title":"Follow the Leader: 7 Employee Motivation and Retention Strategies Used by Tech Giants","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/7-employee-motivation-and-retention-strategies-used-by-tech-giants-you-can-make-use-of/","slug":"7-employee-motivation-and-retention-strategies-used-by-tech-giants-you-can-make-use-of","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/human-resources.jpg","dek":"The goal of every motivation and retention strategy is to keep the valuable employees of a company from leaving for the competition.","lastModified":"2016-04-07T14:00:00Z","published":"2016-04-07T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Better Than Cash: Perks That Are Worth Their Weight In Gold","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/better-than-cash-perks-that-are-worth-their-weight-in-gold/","slug":"better-than-cash-perks-that-are-worth-their-weight-in-gold","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/573/1f0563187b1512ecfbf85/1500-0-","dek":"Free snacks are great, but today’s in-demand employees are drawn to benefits that help them make the most of their lives.","lastModified":"2016-05-10T17:00:00Z","published":"2016-05-10T17:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Get 'Em and Keep 'Em: Cutting Edge Benefits That Don't Cost a Thing","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/get-em-and-keep-em-cutting-edge-benefits-that-dont-cost-a-thing/","slug":"get-em-and-keep-em-cutting-edge-benefits-that-dont-cost-a-thing","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/573/a16ba3187b15f1f0bc9ed/1500-0-","dek":"As workplaces continue to compete for top talent, the best are pulling out all the stops to get and keep the best in the industry.","lastModified":"2016-05-17T16:00:00Z","published":"2016-05-17T16:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"The New Pension: How Businesses Are Retaining Employees for the Long-Term","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/the-new-pension-how-businesses-are-retaining-employees-for-the-long-term/","slug":"the-new-pension-how-businesses-are-retaining-employees-for-the-long-term","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/553/532673087b1461a8b457d/1500-0-","dek":"Times are changing, but what does this mean for our pension plans? Can employee perks and benefits keep employees feeling healthy and happy?","lastModified":"2015-04-20T19:00:00Z","published":"2015-04-20T19:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"A 401(k) or Improv Classes? Benefits That Matter Most to Employees","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/a-401k-or-improv-classes-benefits-that-matter-most-to-employees/","slug":"a-401k-or-improv-classes-benefits-that-matter-most-to-employees","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/57b/3f23d3187b1c92d77d09e/1500-0-","dek":"To both attract and retain the best employees, business leaders need to know what matters most to them.","lastModified":"2016-08-17T20:00:00Z","published":"2016-08-17T20:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Massages and Pets and Kegs, Oh My! Creative Perks for Improved Morale and Retention","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/creative-perks-for-improved-morale-and-retention/","slug":"creative-perks-for-improved-morale-and-retention","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/570/afce22f87b1472a660de2/1500-0-","dek":"Employee perks are like frosting on the cake of a workplace: they might not be necessary, but they definitely make life sweeter.","lastModified":"2017-02-22T23:53:47Z","published":"2016-04-12T16:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Massages and Pets and Kegs, Oh My! Creative Perks for Improved Morale and Retention","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/creative-perks-for-improved-morale-and-retention/","slug":"creative-perks-for-improved-morale-and-retention","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/business-basics.jpg","dek":"Employee perks are like frosting on the cake of a workplace: they might not be necessary, but they definitely make life sweeter.","lastModified":"2016-04-12T16:00:00Z","published":"2016-04-12T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Awesome Employee Benefits: Attract and Retain Talent With No or Little Cost to Your Business","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/awesome-employee-benefits-attract-and-retain-talent-with-no-or-little-cost-to-your-business/","slug":"awesome-employee-benefits-attract-and-retain-talent-with-no-or-little-cost-to-your-business","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/56b/296f63287b17e7cfb015c/1500-0-","dek":"How does a business make itself attractive to potential new hires beyond offering a competitive salary? Perks that make employees happy.","lastModified":"2016-02-08T15:00:00Z","published":"2016-02-08T15:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Hiring Goes Millennial: How to Attract, Retain and Manage This Influential Set","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/hiring-goes-millennial-how-to-attract-retain-and-manage-this-influential-set/","slug":"hiring-goes-millennial-how-to-attract-retain-and-manage-this-influential-set","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/human-resources.jpg","dek":"How do you attract, retain and manage millennials in the workplace? Read how to do so from a millennial who knows.","lastModified":"2016-02-15T21:00:00Z","published":"2016-02-15T21:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Hiring Goes Millennial: How to Attract, Retain and Manage This Influential Set","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/hiring-goes-millennial-how-to-attract-retain-and-manage-this-influential-set/","slug":"hiring-goes-millennial-how-to-attract-retain-and-manage-this-influential-set","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/56b/e29043287b1680ccbec2f/1500-0-","dek":"How do you attract, retain and manage millennials in the workplace? Read how to do so from a millennial who knows.","lastModified":"2017-02-22T23:56:07Z","published":"2016-02-15T21:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Stay Engaged: Why You Should Start Planning Your Summer Vacation Now","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/why-you-should-start-planning-your-summer-vacation-now/","slug":"why-you-should-start-planning-your-summer-vacation-now","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/56f/97c8f3087b189491375ef/1500-0-","dek":"Taking vacation is not only good for your ability to do your job, but it is also good for your family relationships.","lastModified":"2016-03-29T17:00:00Z","published":"2016-03-29T17:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"How to Keep Your Company’s Staff Turnover Rate Low","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/how-to-keep-your-companys-staff-turnover-rate-low/","slug":"how-to-keep-your-companys-staff-turnover-rate-low","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/576/c4b5b2f87b1d37198036e/1500-0-","dek":"Use these tips to help build a culture in your organization that will keep your turnover rates low, and your best employees on board.","lastModified":"2016-07-12T17:30:00Z","published":"2016-07-12T17:30:00Z","sponsored":null}],"relatedReviews":[{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5e00ccda9c658a423d8b4569/HR_People_fizkes_Getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-peo-services/","title":"The Best PEO Service Providers of 2021","dek":"Professional employer organization services can simplify your human resource responsibilities. Learn about the best PEOs available for your small business.","slug":"best-peo-services","lastModified":"2021-03-23T19:45:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5d85356c7b43745d448b458d/hroutsourcing_fizkes.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-hr-outsourcing-services/","title":"The Best HR Outsourcing Services of 2021","dek":"Human resource outsourcing services can simplify your human resource responsibilities. Learn about the best HROs available for your small business.","slug":"best-hr-outsourcing-services","lastModified":"2021-03-11T17:15:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5e14b61c9c658a7e408b4573/schedule_AndreyPopov_getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/employee-scheduling-software/","title":"The Best Employee Scheduling Software of 2021","dek":"Looking for the best employee scheduling software? We've reviewed the best and cheapest programs.","slug":"employee-scheduling-software","lastModified":"2021-03-05T15:55:00Z"}],"relatedSponsoredArticles":null}},"pageContext":{"displayModified":"2016-04-07T14:00:00.000Z","template":"v1","title":"Follow the Leader: 7 Employee Motivation and Retention Strategies Used by Tech Giants","meta":{"robots":"index, follow"},"docType":"articles","slug":"7-employee-motivation-and-retention-strategies-used-by-tech-giants-you-can-make-use-of","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/7-employee-motivation-and-retention-strategies-used-by-tech-giants-you-can-make-use-of/","skipTOC":false}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}