The perks of the job

In an industry that isn’t particularly well paid, perks can work to raise morale and motivation among staff as well as help attract them in the first place.

And staff experiencing free or discounted products for themselves are not only encouraged to buy them later but can better sell their benefits to customers, too.

Crabtree & Evelyn, for instance, offers a generous 60% staff discount and welcomes new recruits with a basket of goods to try out.

“As an experiential brand, it’s important for all our staff to try each and every one of our different ranges. Through training we actively promote products to be taken home and tried out,” says promotions and events manager Chris Purdie.

This is a good tactic, according to Laura Ryan, director of human resources consultancy KnowHow HR. “If the company is selling branded goods, then employee ownership increases product knowledge and pride, so there is greater reason to offer a high discount,” she says.

At outdoor retailer Go Outdoors, staff are offered products at cost, which is a huge draw, according to retail operations director Lee Bagnall. “It’s great for staff to use the product but it also creates a really good benefit for them,” he says.

Marketing tool

New Look staff spend on average about £800 a year using their 50% staff discount, which the fashion group sees as an important recruitment and retention tool.

“That represents around 160 garments per employee a year, which is a significant take-up. Our employees are key advocates of the brand and are a great marketing tool for our products, displaying our up-to-the minute fashions - effectively they are walking wardrobes,” says a spokeswoman for the retailer.

For fashion retailers particularly, having staff wear their products is vital. Retailers such as Austin Reed, Selfridges and Karen Millen offer uniform allowances to encourage staff to wear the latest collections.

Many retailers also offer staff the chance to test products for free. American Golf allows staff to test out its latest products while Go Outdoors operates staff away-days.

“We may do a day out, for example, where we take three or four jacket types. That allows staff to experience more than just one range,” Bagnall says.

There are many obvious benefits to offering perks and possibly there is a hidden one, too. “Our shrinkage is small, and that is because we let staff have our product so cheaply it’s not worth the risk of stealing it,” concludes one retailer.