Airbnb’s Cost Effective Employee Perk

Some companies might spend big on reward schemes to cement customer loyalty, but Airbnb runs things a little differently. 

We’d all love to earn a good extra income here and there, especially when times get tough. When the salary differential is minimal, however, or candidates are driven by other means than money, quirky benefits can help tip the scale in your company’s favour.

Netflix, for example, recently allowed employees up to a year in parental leave. Virgin Airlines one upped that by offering an unlimited holiday scheme. In reality, unusual benefits are only given out depending on how much money companies can sink into expansion packages and added rewards; after all, you’re catering to multiple customers and employees. So how does Airbnb match up? 

With a bit of marketing flair, of course! 

Instead of advertising rentals as “an additional $2000 salary”, a rental in the US recently marketed their firm as offering “an additional $2000 salary to help cover the cost of travel expenses on vacation”. 

While it is the same amount of money, and certainly nothing to sneeze at, it sends a positive message to employees: we care. We want to give you a work life balance. 

In terms of cost to the business, it works similarly to retailers’ offices. Not every employee will take it up or use the full amount, so the average cost rounds up across the workforce, and become far cheaper to the business model as a whole. 

This gives off some obvious benefits to both the company and the employees they hire. An employee perk such as this will improve the quality of life amongst workers at Airbnb, even outside of the workforce. While job satisfaction is important, it is also equally important to recognise the necessity of work and life balance. 

In New Zealand, we already have a solid work life balance that sees many hardworking Kiwis have an improved quality of life, including free health care, unlimited sick days and paternal leave as soon as you request it. For our American Airbnb counterparts, it is heartwarming to know that they’re catching up, and putting down these policies for their workers. 

While some would say that American culture is rooted in hard work (and I would argue this is true), many Americans struggle to find that sweet spot between work and family life. For Airbnb to implement this perk is a gamechanger in the lives of many Americans, and one we hope they keep up with. 

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