Tablets & Babysitting: The Companies That Pamper Corona Employees Israel today

Office supplies for NIS 1,800, $ 300 a month for a babysitter, gift tablets, Corona grants and gift packages • This is only a partial list of the battery of benefits that companies in the economy provided to their employees, to help them get through the period.

• A session for the children of Lumenis employees

  Photography: 

  Courtesy of Lumenis

If you are one of those who get a snapshot of what is happening in Israel through the new editions, you are losing.

To hear every day about a million unemployed and workers who have been expelled to the IDF - not only pollutes your soul, but also misses the full picture. Of luck will not hurt either.

This is not new in the high-tech industry.

Along with the layoffs that were there as well, and on the side of getting rid of budget-heavy layers of fat at some companies - on the side where the butter was smeared there were those who financed gifts, benefits, reliefs and hundreds of dollars in employee reimbursement, even if they were not work-related.

In some cases, the amounts are close to NIS 2,000. 

If we talk all the time about the backyard of Israeli society, then this is the front, shiny and coveted lobby, the object of fantasies of every Khalatnik. These workers are not individuals of virtue, but many eight thousand from many diverse fields in the economy - from production workers who won the "Corona grant" And to high-tech glasses.

Free time, free day

Eden Dahan, the human resources manager of the Haifa high-tech company, Plus500, reinforces the need for help for parents.

"When the education system closed in the first and second closures, we offered all employees to fund babysitting services in the amount of NIS 3,000. This is a crazy benefit, without which I do not think it would have been possible to work. In addition, until we returned to full activity, we converted Cebus to NIS 1,000 in salary. "That people can shop at the supermarket and not be restricted in places. In the first closure, we sent a box of board games every two weeks and packages of quality delicacies. We sent the workers' parents a box of wine and chocolate and received excited letters from them."

Dahan adds "Since this year Holocaust Remembrance Day was in the shadow of the corona, we organized a memorial in the living room with Grandma of one of the workers and it was very exciting. In addition, I talk to the workers towards the end of the year and they said they do not know what they would do "Sane in this pressure cooker. In addition, we did an event in double capsules in a spectacular complex in Kibbutz Yagur with a performance by Moshe Peretz and Hanan Ben Ari. They were really happy to see each other."

Soloto offers new employees a kit that includes a new Mac and mouse.

Those who own dogs at home, also get a branded collar and leash.

The cyber company Impreva offered employees a special grant worth $ 250 for the purchase of office equipment.

At the high-tech company Natural Intelligence, the employees received peripherals for the benefit of working from home.

The children of the company's employees who went up to the first grade received a lunch bag and a pencil case.

With the benefits offered by social gaming company SciPlay is a $ 200 benefit per employee, "for creating a comfortable work environment from home."

The company held creative and sports classes for all the employees' children, in video calls.

Intel Israel allows work from home until the end of June 2021. Until then, employees will be able to file a monthly reimbursement for childcare when schools are closed, as well as assistance in caring for older parents.

That's $ 300 a month for an employee or $ 150 for students. 

Some companies have realized that a significant benefit means free time.

Applied Materials has set a time period of two hours at noon, during which meetings and meetings are not held.

In addition, each employee can order office equipment worth NIS 1,750 on a dedicated website.

And if that wasn’t enough, company employees got tablets.

Be jealous.

Fiverr allowed employees to exercise their recharge days (a regular day off per week) - all days of the week and not just Sundays, which are usually free due to the weekend abroad. In addition, the company gave a refund for the purchase of equipment. 

"We have never closed the office. There are partitions, and about 50 workers who live nearby choose to come to it," reports Gil Lev, head of global human resources at Faber, who, like many in the economy, has become sober and realized that there is no substitute for human contact.

"Once that is possible, we will return all the workers on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the rest is up for selection. We are not giving up real estate.

The social effect is important to us and we do not intend to give it up. " 

As for the well-being of the workers, he says he "discovered" that home deliveries "are most critical for the workers, so we took care to produce small treats at the door. The ones who suffer are the parents, so we have arranged a babysitter for some workers, as well as food deliveries for children.

"However, the kids are a tough crowd," he laughs, "we were sure they would prefer food from restaurants, but it turned out they preferred home-cooked food." 

With the help of Amdocs volunteers, the children of the workers were offered virtual lessons in math, English and programming.

Alongside this, a dedicated Facebook group was launched, which connected thousands of children of workers around the world, who became a virtual children's community.

These celebrated joint birthdays, solved puzzles and played joint games.

In addition, the company has allocated $ 250 to purchase office furniture and equipment for each of the group's employees worldwide.

Inhouse Cafe

Believe it or not, there are companies that also offer credit cards to employees.

At Salesforce, every employee who joins the company may receive a credit card from the company.

During the crisis, all expenses related to operating the work from home with the approval of a manager, are deducted from the company card.

Tipalti and Salesforce funded babysitting services for all their employees.

The latter did so at a cost of $ 100 per day in April and May, and it also continues to subsidize employees' meals with Cebus tickets and also give a bite from home in the amount of 1,000 shekels a month.

In the field of emotional support, Qualcomm Israel offers a variety of support services to employees and their families in matters of parenting, relationships, financial crises, burnout at work, anxiety and depression.

Some have decided to reduce working hours without compromising workers' wages.

Argus has decided that every parent in the company is allowed to reduce working hours by 20%, without any violation of conditions.

And not just in high-tech: Sodastream launches food deliveries to the families of its employees, and has even increased its monthly "give a bite" budget, which can be used for home shopping.

It offers distance sports and movement classes, parental counseling, summer camps for children and conversations with doctors about the corona.

Recently all production workers received a "Corona bonus".

AIG celebrated the Tishrei holidays as well as personal events in sending gift packages to employees' homes.

The company offers enrichment lectures and zoom sports classes and a stand-up show for the whole family.

All Unilever employees are offered a personal meal refund and a budget for the purchase of office equipment.

The company has also started a program to improve health and energy.

Shamir Optics offers a dedicated fund for employees whose spouses do not work due to the situation, as well as paid help for babysitting hours.

Nespresso Israel offers frontal or telephone emotional support at the company's expense and over a cup of espresso.

The company reports a high response from employees.

If these seductive examples are not enough, there are places that have taken care of Schlaf Shtunda, and even a cafe.

Ziva Shalom, Welfare Director at Playtica, revealed to us the cafe next to the company's offices in Herzliya Pituach.

The company's cafe, of course.

"It serves as a meeting place for company employees, for a light meal, as well as a place for meetings and professional and social events. It is suitable for the period."

Cut back on food menus

The one who diagnoses these symptoms in a slightly more complex way is Keren Weissman, VP of marketing at the food card company Cebus, a competitor of "Give a Bite". 

According to her, they have not yet returned to full activity since the corona began, in a little over a year.

"In the world of food cards, just as the period is crazy, so too is the behavior of friendships," she reveals.

"Stopping giving lunch to employees is a marginal phenomenon," she said.

"We have seen a few such cases of companies with up to ten employees, who froze activities in the first closure. Most companies left the budget to employees and even increased it. After the first closure, the business recovered completely, beyond what we assumed. % Activity, but it's not far off. "