What the heck is an anti-perk?

If you’ve applied for a job in tech, you’ve probably seen that they come with a long list of perks.

Companies use everything from pingpong tables to beer fridges to attract talent. But a recent viral Twitter thread suggests workers don’t even want these things, per Protocol.

“Anti-perks”…

… are perks that sound good but don’t actually matter to workers. The biggest offender?

• Unlimited vacation, which doesn’t really work unless the company encourages employees to take time off.

Other perks that drew feisty replies include free booze, free massages, and special-purpose rooms (e.g., fitness, nap, and meditation rooms).

So what do workers actually want?

Recent research suggests workers are more interested in perks that align with their values. A few examples include:

• Location-agnostic pay, which encourages employees to work from wherever they want.
• Generous leave policies, including more time for maternity and paternity leave.

In short, as remote work continues to trend, benefits that require office visits don’t carry the same weight that they used to.

But… not all workers are on the same page. Some Google employees recently pushed back when the company cut costs on travel and events, causing billionaire CEO Sundar Pichai to drop a major rebuttal: “money ≠ fun.”