PerkSpot

Monopoly.

It’s long and you never finish it. But you want to. You try. Why?

There’s something about the way it seems to break down complicated real-life processes (making money in real estate, becoming a tycoon, banking – to say nothing of embodying an old-fashioned iron or top hat), making it simple, accessible and almost enjoyable!

Can you think of some other processes that seem a little complicated? Monopoly has dibs on creating an easy interface to understand MAKING money…but what about SAVING it? PerkSpot calls dibs on that.

Clipping coupons, driving to retail outlets, following bargain calendars and actually READING and processing all those coupons in the mail … it gets tiring, it’s not simple, it’s barely accessible and it sure isn’t enjoyable. Hardly worth the time you are spending vs. the money you’d be saving! Managing an employee benefits program multiplies that frustration many times over.

With PerkSpot, employers and groups are able to win some time back from their own human resources department while also winning points with their employees through our comprehensive employee rewards and discount program. With an economy that’s hurting not just jobs, but also the benefits they offer, the immediate and tangible benefits that PerkSpot’s simple interface offers employees may mean the difference between keeping and losing your best people.

Searching for discounts and coupons was once an every-man-for-himself endeavor,  but now with PerkSpot, it’s a group effort — simple as logging in to an employer’s PerkSpot site, searching for what you want, and getting the discount. Pass go. Collect $200 in discounts (for instance, PerkSpot is currently offering a deal that would save employees more than that on a new desktop computer!).

It’s short and it’s easy. PerkSpot makes employee discounts as accessible as a board game.

On PerkSpot.com, you’ll see that we offer an array of “perks” as employee discount programs.  Discounted gym memberships, savings on consumer goods, apparel, tickets…all things employees have come to associate with the typical perk.

So what is the real difference between a corporate perk and a corporate benefit? Do perks come in packages like benefits have traditionally done for so long? As Shakespeare once said, “A perk by any other name…”

You see where we’re going. It’s a grey area when it comes to offering perks and benefits. It’s complicated, and it’s a headache.

Traditionally, many employees offer corporate benefits packages that include insurance. They can be extensive and comprehensive, but come with high premiums that are a premium cost to the employer. Sure it helps a great deal with talent retention, offering your employees the best rewards and recognition that money can buy, but the fact of the matter is, employer money and business cashflow are buying those things, and if we’re to believe the pundits – money is tight these days.

So employers are cutting back.

Over 14,000 people are losing health benefits altogether – EACH DAY – as corporate benefits become a, if not THE deciding factor when searching for the right job. Ultimately, cutting back on corporate benefits means cutting back on talent. Saying goodbye to offering uncomplicated employee access to a wide array of health and other insurance benefits is tantamount to saying goodbye to easy access to top talent.

It seems that if you look between a rock and a hard place – that’s where you’ll find those employers who are feeling the cinching of the economy and the need to do right by their employees (to say nothing of their employees families, who may depend on the benefits packages that are getting cut).

This is where PerkSpot.com comes in. Soon we’ll be adding access to voluntary benefits offers and opportunities on our site. What once was a tedious, complicated process – almost as fun as a trip to the DMV, minus the lines – will be simplified, easy and frankly – beneficial to employees.

So maybe perks and benefits are the same thing.
At PerkSpot.com, they definitely are.

While an employee discount program and savings platform is a great way to communicate voluntary benefits to employees and members of an organization, we at PerkSpot also believe people can genuinely have fun while saving at the same time. Our Valentine’s Day discounts are a great example of this as you can save some real money on fun gifts for the people you care about.


FTD – 15% off Valentine’s Day Flowers from $19.99!

RedEnvelope – Save 10% off your online order

Diamond.com – Save an extra 20% and free shipping on all orders

Three weeks ago we wrote about the results of two surveys that led us to believe that ‘baby boomers’ are more tech savvy than we once thought. Our belief has been further bolstered by a recent eMarketer article stating that the gap between generations using the Internet is narrowing. Specifically, the study ‘noted that the biggest increase in Internet use since 2005 was in the 70-to-75-year-old age group; just over one-quarter of them were online in 2005′.

As the Internet becomes ubiquitous among all age groups, the appeal of a discount program for both employees and retirees as part of a voluntary benefits package only grows. Furthermore, we are PerkSpot are devoting increased time to develop and research meaningful savings opportunities for all age groups.

If you are a human resources administrator or the person in charge of voluntary benefits and the employee discount program at your organization then you are aware of the escalating importance of saving employees’ money in today’s economy. Furthermore, one thing all employees have to do is file their taxes–and PerkSpot has some great discounts from the biggest, most trusted tax providers.


TurboTax – Try TurboTax Online Free Edition or get 20% off TurboTax Online Federal Products


H&R Block – Get 20% off H&R Block TaxCut Online Federal Programs


Jackson Hewitt – Get a $25 discount on your tax preparation with Jackson Hewitt