Work and play help companies thrive

Randi Martin, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Free food and basketball courts help many companies keep employees.

That is not everything, of course, explains Scott Dobroski from career website Glassdoor. “It’s a work-life balance that companies strive for. The perks like the food or getting your dry cleaning picked up are just ways of the company expressing appreciation.”

At WTOP, we enjoy pizza lunches, omelet breakfasts and food truck visits. During the holidays, the company offers raffles and gift baskets “A lot of it is for employee morale” says WTOP Senior VP and General Manager Joel Oxley. “We want to have people enjoy coming to work and we want their jobs to be as good as possible.”

Recognition and appreciation is important, according to Oxley and that philosophy is echoed by Glassdoor’s 50 best places to work list.

“When we look at these top 50 best places to work according to the employees, we see that these companies share a really good company culture,” says Dobroski. “And many of these companies offer time to play.”

Facebook, Google and Trader Joe’s make the list offering everything from running trails to free laundry service to video game rooms. Dobroski says smart CEOs use work perks to retain good employees and entice others to join the company.

Oxley says, “It can’t be all nose to the grindstone, you gotta have some time for a little bit of bonding, a little bit of camaraderie and a little bit of fun.”

Follow @WTOPLiving on Twitter.

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