"Conventional 'coffee and cookies' are not a bonus." The developer raised the topic of benefits among IT workers. What do they actually consider to be "bonuses" from the company, and what is just a "patch"?

«Not a bonus» almost unanimously

Elena Kuznetsova believes that it is not a bonus, and here are her arguments why.

• Conditional «coffee and cookies»: These are employees who will drink coffee and discuss work in the office, rather than going to a cafe for 30 minutes (besides, coffee is a stimulant). Also, these are employees who are hungry because they forgot to take food with them, will go and have a cookie and work more efficiently. «This is not a bonus for 5 years, probably,» adds Head of Marketing Olga Onofriychuk.
• Break room: This is needed to encourage people to stay at work and spend time with colleagues, again discussing work.
• Team building: This is an opportunity to establish connections in the team, smooth out conflicts, and improve work. «As a rule, either people know how to communicate and work productively in a team, or they don’t, and no team building will save it. If someone is uncomfortable communicating with someone, team building will not change the person,» emphasizes International Recruitment Specialist Anastasia Fedotova .
• Payment for training: This is all — first of all, an adequate employer needs it. «This is not a bonus, it is a must-have. Which is needed by both the company and the employee. Because without new skills, new approaches, there will be no new breakthroughs,» adds Head of Marketing Olga Onofriychuk .

In addition, Frontend Developer Anton Kucherenko believes that allocating working time for training cannot always be considered (or not) a benefit, in particular:

• not a bonus — when this is a controlled selection of specialists highly sensitive to the company’s interests within the company, training is associated with expanding authority, increasing the area of ​​responsibility, etc.;
• bonus — training is not related to the company’s direct/specific commercial interest (s).

Bonus (or not)

The developer considers the following suggestions from the employer to be a real benefit, but Software Team Lead Anton Oprya disagrees with some of the statements. Head of Marketing Olga Onofriychuk also joined the discussion. Here is what Olena suggests and what arguments Anton and Olga put forward:

• The ability to take sick leave without a certificate: «Why do you need certificates for an individual entrepreneur? And for an employer, if there are no sick leave, then certificates are just an extra hassle. Not a bonus,» the developer notes.
• Health insurance: «Health insurance in normal countries is simply mandatory. Therefore, it is not a bonus,» he explains.
• Help from lawyers and accountants: «The help from a lawyer and accountant is the employer’s unwillingness to work in the white collar. We are all employees and, in theory, an employee does not need these services,» says the Software Team Lead.
• Allocating working time for training.
• Payment for travel to conferences: Olga Onofriychuk disagrees here, believing that this is also a must-have. «If it’s a trip where a person spends their time and resources searching for leads, partners, etc. for the company. IMHO, in such a case, the company should at least partially pay for the trip,» she explains.

Anton says that the bonus is:

• awards,
• corporate discounts on goods and services,
• selling at reduced prices or donating unnecessary equipment,
• additional vacation days.

«An adequate employer and the opportunity for development are more important than formal „buns“,» emphasizes Front-End Developer Kateryna Ruchka .

Into the bargain

A few more statements about «coffee in the office», which are also criticized by other IT professionals. In particular, Software Engineer Yevhen believes that this is probably already:

• Mediocrity and compromise are something we accept not because it’s good, but because it’s available.
• The monotony of office life is an unpleasant but necessary element of routine.
• Functionality without pleasure is a drink that is drunk for caffeine, not taste.

«Therefore, if there is a coffee shop in an office center or nearby, some of the colleagues will be there all the time,» he adds.

Read the country’s main IT news in our Telegram

On the topic

Read the country’s main IT news in our Telegram

Intel’s new CEO will be paid a 200% bonus if he leads the company out of crisis. He could earn about $69 million

On the topic

Intel’s new CEO will be paid a 200% bonus if he leads the company out of crisis. He could earn about $69 million

«Sleeping at work, they pay, I’m in.» The recruiter asked IT professionals which corporate benefits impress them the most. A selection of creative options for HR

On the topic

«Sleeping at work, they pay, I’m in.» The recruiter asked IT professionals which corporate benefits impress them the most. A selection of creative options for HR

Scholarships to «treat yourself,» «vacations through the paw,» a $500 bonus for those who go to the office three times a week. Startups are showering employees with benefits despite the fact that tech giants are cutting them in every way. What’s happening?

On the topic

Scholarships to «treat yourself,» «vacations through the paw,» a $500 bonus for those who go to the office three times a week. Startups are showering employees with benefits despite the fact that tech giants are cutting them in every way. What’s happening?

From full health insurance to gamification. What has changed in benefits since the start of the war

On the topic

From full health insurance to gamification. What has changed in benefits since the start of the war