While you’re trying to convince that hot prospect that a week of vacation is pretty standard, be glad you’re not competing against a UK employer. There, employees at more than a few firms can get time off for cosmetic procedures like Botox shots, facials, and haircuts.
And that’s not even the most unusual bene. Nigerian workers get an electric generator to use at home, says Mercer. In China, you get at least three days off to get married. The Aussies reward their employees for loyalty, typically giving them three months off after 15 years. It grows by a month for every additional five years.
And you thought free Starbucks in the break room was a big deal.
The Happiest Places
Living here in Southern California, you kinda get to believing the happiest place is Disneyland. Turns out that’s only 26 miles off. CareerBliss says the #1 happiest U.S. city for young professionals is Los Angeles. Irvine, which is 19 miles away from Mickey’s California resort, is #6 on the list.
Heidi Golledge, Chief Happiness Officer and co-founder, says a “positive company culture, which focuses on overall happiness and not just compensation, is key for young professionals.” Course most of the cities in the top 10 just happen to have above-average pay scales, plus great weather, a nearby ocean, plenty of companies to jump to, movie stars; none of which, except the pay, counts in the CareerBliss survey.
That explains how Indianapolis snuck in at #4.
There Really Is a Free Lunch Bene
And how appropriate that Stackoverflow is providing it. The hook here? Unless you work for 
the cool Q&A programmers’ site you have to win it. OK, so it’s not free that way, but if you enter and win, you get free lunch for the whole department, up to $2,500. That’ll buy a whole lot of pizza and Mountain Dew.
The contest promotes Stackoverflow’s new job board. “There are three open opportunities for every programmer out there,” the good folks at Stackoverflow warned ominously, suggesting, though, that by checking out the new career site you might find just the perfect one. Or at least get lunch.
And Now We Leave You With This