We all know how there’s so much more than money that motivates employees. Of course not all companies can afford or are as forward thinking as others out there. Then there’s great pressure from the societies that we operate in on what’s acceptable and what’s not. That said, there are some fun benefits that don’t cost organizations an arm and a leg, are pretty easy to implement and can easily be modified for company’s operating in frontier markets.

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Though the list is endless on motivating your employees with out-of-the-box ideas, I really loved the benefits below.

Luggage Party

Freeborns and Peters in the US are a law firm which throws a Luggage Party every year where they have everyone come into the office, packed for the weekend. They randomly draw 4 names and those people are taken away to an all expense paid trip to Law Vegas.

You can modify this to suite your environment. It could be another city but if that’s too complicated for your company try a top-notch hotel within your own city. You don’t even have to do 4 people, pick just 1. Just the excitement of potential change can recharge your entire office.

Pitch Your Own Benefit

This one’s a win-win because it gives your employees a sense of empowerment while taking away some tough guesswork and decisions off your plate. Zappos is known for taking management decisions which are out of the box and one of them was the Zfrogs awards which let employees pitch ideas like “Laughter Yoga” and “Tank Top Tuesdays”.

Though Tank Tops and Yoga may not be your employee’s cup of tea, the whole point is that employees can pitch what they feel would make them most happy and you can select what is most affordable and acceptable to your organization. Like I said, win-win.

Play Time

This one is easy. Though company’s like Red Ventures take this to a pretty magnified level including an indoor basketball court, gym and putting green you don’t have to be so elaborate.

Consider basic activities such as a foosball table or table tennis. They’ll keep your employees happy and reduce stress levels. And rememberer that it’s not just about placing these on the office premises but it’s also about the attitude that leaders have to employees using them. Read between the lines – you’ll need accept (and hope) that they’re mature enough to focus on work when needed and give them leeway when they want to play.

Snack Bar

Google is well known for providing benefits that many of us can only dream of for ourselves and for our employees. However, there is one thing they do which you can replicate even if it’s a smaller scale – a well stocked pantry.

People will not abuse this benefit, well they may initially. But think about providing some basic breakfast items or snacks that could fuel your employees for all the work they do for you. Even something as simple as fruits could go a long way. They’ll show people that you really, genuinely care for them.

Grooming Budget

At first go I thought this was a silly one but the more I thought about it, the better it seemed. 2HB  is a Systems and Software Engineering company that provides a $50 grooming budget for their employees. It’s up to people whether they want to spoil themselves with a nice haircut or a even a massage.

I think this one is important because there are many leaders who feel that their employees could use a little personal grooming both for their sake and presenting themselves better when going to clients. Plus who doesn’t like a little spoiling every now and then?

These are 5 fun but completely acceptable benefits for frontier markets. I think it would be quite fascinating if any of these were implemented in an “office next door”. Stay on top of other ideas that you can take from organizations around the world and implement in your own regions by joining the community.