Platform brings great employee perks onsite without the admin headache

US based startup Espresa.com streamlines the process of booking office perks.

Forward thinking Tech giants like Facebook, Google and other Silicon Valley companies are increasingly offering a suite of perks to employees as a way of attracting and retaining the best talent. These perks can be anything from yoga and massages to dental care and car washes. However, managing these programs is often an administrative burden for busy HR departments and can leave smaller companies struggling to compete.  We have already seen one platform which aims to level this playing field by alerting employees via an app when they are in the vicinity of participating stores. Now, a new employer platform from Espresa aims to bring the solution inside the workplace by offering a seamless bookings interface between service providers, employers and their workforce.

Currently, Espresa is used by 25,000 employees in about 15 companies. Employees log into the platform to book the service they require. Some services are available on demand, so if an employee chooses phone repair or gas refuel for example, the vendor will come and fix it there and then. Other offers are bookable, so those looking for a car wash will be offered slots within a certain timeframe. Employers sign up and pay USD 1 – 2 per employee each month meaning that the cost is manageable for smaller companies. Once signed up, they can choose various payment options. They might cover 100 percent of the cost of the perk, split it 50 – 50 or offer employees USD 100 to spend each month as part of their remuneration or an incentivisation scheme. Service providers can sign up for free but Espresa collects a commission from every transaction vendors make thanks to the platform.

Founded in June 2015, the Palo Alto-based startup currently works with about 50 vendors. The list of services that the startup offers includes car washes, car refuels and general repairs, haircuts, manicures, eyebrow treatments, bicycle repair and team-building opportunities. The service is only available in the Bay Area, but the company plans to expand to other US locations next year.

Software services are increasingly being used to streamline and improve routine interaction between employers and employees from the administrative work of booking business travel to ordering company lunches. Could this approach add value in your business or region?