---
title: What the heck is an anti-perk?  - The Hustle
description: Perks that require an office visit don’t carry the same weight that they used to.
image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1099904887-HS-News-Brief_2022-09-27T222028.447Z.webp
---

# What the heck is an anti-perk?

![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit)

Published:  September 28, 2022

Updated:  October 11, 2023

If you’ve applied for a job in tech, you’ve probably seen that they come with a long list of perks.

![What the heck is an anti-perk?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1099904887-HS-News-Brief_2022-09-27T222028.447Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1099904887-HS-News-Brief_2022-09-27T222028.447Z.webp)

Companies use everything from pingpong tables to beer fridges to attract talent. But a recent viral Twitter thread [suggests](https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/anti-perks-benefits-corporate-culture) workers don’t even want these things, per *Protocol*.

**“Anti-perks”…**

… are perks that sound good but don’t actually matter to workers. The biggest offender?

- **Unlimited vacation,** which doesn’t really work unless the company encourages employees to take time off.

Other perks that drew feisty replies include free booze, free massages, and special-purpose rooms (e.g., fitness, nap, and meditation rooms).

#### **So what do workers actually want?**

Recent [research](https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/employees-seek-personal-value-and-purpose-at-work-be-prepared-to-deliver) suggests workers are more interested in perks that align with their values. A few examples include:

- **Location-agnostic pay,** which encourages employees to work from wherever they want.
- **Generous leave policies,** including more time for maternity and paternity leave.

In short, as remote work continues to trend, benefits that require office visits don’t carry the same weight that they used to.

**But… **not all workers are on the same page. Some Google employees recently [pushed back](https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-ceo-employees-perks) when the company cut costs on travel and events, causing billionaire CEO Sundar Pichai to drop a major rebuttal: “money ≠ fun.”

Topics: [Big Tech](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/big-tech) [Workplace Issues](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/workplace-issues)

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