10 Employee Perks You Should Really Be Taking Advantage Of

(SPOT.ph) The phrase "quiet quitting" has been thrown around back in August when it trended on TikTok. It's a pushback to the long glorified hustle culture—so, in less capitalist and pro-labor terms, it's basically doing only what you're paid to do. It's essentially doing the job of one person (read: you, you're the one person), instead of bearing the load of a whole team.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the privilege of fighting for a work-life balance, especially when you're at risk to be at the receiving end of "quiet firing." So the next best thing is taking advantage of company benefits that you already have (or size up on employee perks if you have an option to choose where to go next).

Also read: Stuck Between: Why Filipinos Can't Break From the Sandwich-Generation Cycle

Here are some of the commonly offered employee benefits in the Philippines:

Overtime pay

Overtime work, as defined by the Bureau of Labor Relations, is any kind of work performed beyond eight hours a day (excluding lunch break). It is also mandated by labor law that overtime work is compensated with additional pay of 25% of an employee's hourly rate. This means that your ninth hour is paid at 125% hourly rate.

Holiday pay is also a legally mandated benefit. If you don't go to work on a holiday, you're automatically paid for the day. If you work on a holiday, you should get double your daily rate (i.e. 100% holiday pay plus your daily salary). Note that regular holidays are different from special non-working days when employees are paid an additional 30% of the daily rate (i.e. 130% instead of 200%).

Night shift differential

If your duty falls within the night shift (between 10 p.m. and 6 p.m.), the hours in that window should be paid "not less than 10%" of your regular hourly rate. If you work overtime during those hours, the overtime pay should also be compounded to your night differential. Again, this is part of the Labor Code of the Philippines.

Vacation leave and sick leave

According to the Labor Code, "every employee who has rendered at least one year of service shall be entitled to a yearly service incentive leave of five days with pay," except if you already have vacation leaves and sick leaves. Other companies also offer the optional benefit of converting unused vacation and sick leaves to cash. While getting a lump sum the following year for all those days you could have been nursing a headache at home or enjoying a week at the beach, it's also good for your mental and physical health to take a break.

Gym membership

Wellness benefits are optional among Philippine companies, but are highly enticing especially if you're a fitness buff. Health club chains like Fitness First, Gold's Gym, and Anytime Fitness offer corporate gym membership and rates. So take advantage of that 70% membership discount or even a week-long trial period if your company offers it.

Employee discounts at partner brands

Employees are often given discounts when purchasing or availing of the services of other sister companies. Don't forget to look up your employer's partner brands, especially if you work for a huge conglomerate with businesses in a number of industries. That 10% off on home appliances, 50% discount in a hotel, or even vouchers in an airline can get you places (literally).

Annual physical exam

As much as you want to skip annual physical exams because they take so much time off your work day, it really doesn't hurt knowing your health status, especially if it's for free. Other companies also offer health maintenance organization insurance that comes with free outpatient consultations, reimbursement for medicine, or even therapy. Consider having little symptoms checked immediately before it comes to a point where you have to pay for your medical expenses just because you ignored a back pain you've been having.

Free food or meal cards

Other companies in the Philippines, especially multinational ones, offer free (and unlimited) coffee through vending machines. There are also those that take the extra mile and provide free meals. If you spend from P150 to P200 on your lunch (coffee not included), you can just imagine how much you can save if you queue up at the office pantry. Plus, you get fewer hours wasted just waiting for the elevator.

Skills training

If your company offers skills training and other forms of certification, it may not only help you in your current job, but may also be useful long-term. Other employers also provide scholarships or tuition discounts if you intend to pursue graduate studies in your field.

Work trips

Who doesn't like to travel? You get a break from work, breath in some fresh (or, at least, different) air, meet new people, and get exposed to new cultures. Granted it's a work trip, of course, where you have to spend most of the day in business meetings or conferences. But, if you can, you can still make the most out of it if you play your cards right. Other employers are even flexible enough that you can extend your work trip into a personal trip. (Don't quote us on that though.)

Employee savings program

While employees (and employers) are mandated to pay a premium to the Philippines' Social Security System, it doesn't guarantee that you will have enough retirement money later on. This is why some companies, especially ones in the finance industry, offer an employee savings program. Plans vary but some of the common features include an optional employee contribution, which the company may double when the employee resigns after a fixed number of years; an investment system; and other automated processes that make it easy for employees to save for the future.