What are some of the best no cost or low cost benefits you have seen at companies? I am mostly interested for tech start ups. Some of the better ones I've seen are flex time, telecommute, providing cell phones and/or laptops, free coffee, pizza at weekly meetings, 80 hours in 9 days (10th day off), and time to work on your own work related projects. I am looking for things that are very valuable for employees that don't cost the employer much.
One is to give them a membership to Sam's Club or BJ Wholesale Club. I know that many small businesses do that around here.
I guess if you make a membership available to all employees and only a certain number use it, it's a good benefit both ways. The employers costs are low and limited and some employees will over value it. I guess an employer would do well to have a large list of nice benefits that employees can pick from. Tuition reimbursement looks great but I was at a company and was told I was one of only 4 out of 1200 people that were actually using it but everybody had a "great tuition reimbursement plan".
Health club membership or discounts on membership, in more and more areas of the country they are tax deductible as both a business expense and as a personal expense. Just treating your employees like a valued asset instead of someone you pay for their service will do wonders.