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Employees are in a burnout crisis. A 2023 Mercer report found that 82% of workers were at risk of burnout. Overworked employees say they need time off, work-life balance, and flexibility. But the same report noted only 32% of leaders thought reducing employee burnout was important. Still, some companies are getting wildly innovative with their well-being perks. Last week, Deloitte made headlines for a new approach: offering its staffers $1,000 to purchase Legos and puzzles. While some employees might argue they’d prefer time off, or a raise, Deloitte isn’t the only company to try a quirky new approach to improving employee well-being. Here are five offbeat benefits companies are offering. 1. Pawternity leave Bringing home a new human is a whirlwind of joy, excitement, and pure exhaustion, and companies are well-versed in granting leave (paid and unpaid) to employees who have had a baby. On the other hand, providing time off for bringing home a new pet is pretty atypical. Still, some companies, who clearly value pets, have offered time off for adopting a new fur baby. New York-based data company mParticle offers PTO to employees who adopt a rescue dog. It also allows employees to bring their pups to work. Likewise, Minneapolis marketing firm Collective Measures allows pet owners to work from home for the first week after bringing home a new cat or dog. While pawternity leave might be new, many companies have become more pet-friendly, including Amazon. The company’s Seattle headquarters allows dogs and caters to pups with an entire floor designed for them. The workplace also built a dog park (open to the public) on company grounds. 2. All-expenses-paid vacations Burned-out employees say they could use more time off. How about having a vacation paid in full by your company? If you work for Airbnb, this desirable benefit can be yours. The vacation rental platform helps staff take vacations by giving them travel stipends. And those stipends aren’t piddly either. Airbnb employees receive $2,000 per year ($500 per quarter) to spend on travel bookings. “Our benefits are centered around our Live and Work Anywhere policy, prioritizing flexibility to meet individual needs,” Airbnb’s career page reads. “Employees receive quarterly travel credits, an annual educational stipend, and a quarterly Live and Work Anywhere allowance, empowering them to enhance their lives professionally and personally as desired.” BambooHR, a human resources company, offers the same perk with its “Paid Paid Vacation” policy. Employees receive $2,000 that can be used to pay for hotels and airfare. 3. Home-cleaning services Keeping your home clean takes time and energy. And if you spend a lot of time at the office (or on work-related tasks), housecleaning can easily fall by the wayside. But California-based staffing company Akraya offers a perk designed to help keep employees’ homes spotless, and the stress at bay. Akraya offers professional housecleaning services to all employeesand not just once in a while. Every two weeks we have a cleaning service that goes to our employees homes. . . . I dont know of any other company that has [that benefit], cofounder and CEO Amar Panchal told Staffing Industry Analysts. Panchal got the idea after talking with an employee who was tired from spending the weekend keeping up with housework. 4. Snow(boarding) days Many of us enjoyed snow days as school-age children. But most companies don’t provide time off when the white stuff comes down. Burlington, Vermont-based Burton isnt most companies. The snowboard maker offers “snow days” for its employeeswith one rule: They have to hit the slopes. Per Entrepreneur, whenever there’s a big storm, Burtons offices close and employees are encouraged to get out and snowboard, which is, after all, what the brand is all about. In addition to snow days, employees get majorly discounted lift tickets, season passes, demo gear, and more. 5. Unlimited ice cream Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont-based ice cream company known for its lovable flavors and outspoken founders, is a pretty sweet place to work. Not only is the atmosphere casual, dog-friendly, and seemingly full of joy, it also offers employees virtually unlimited ice cream. Employees say they’re allowed to take home three pints each and every day, though when new flavors roll in, they have to hustle. “Even though we get three pints a day as a sweet work perk, its always a mad rush to the freezers when a new flavor comes in,” the company website reads. “And camping out overnight to be first in line is, well, frowned upon.” With all the ice cream offerings, it’s no wonder Ben & Jerry’s was ranked Vermont’s Most Coveted Employer this year.
Category:
E-Commerce
When people think about artificial intelligence, they often picture sleek start-ups or futuristic labs. But what happens when AI meets a company that has been innovating for over 100 years? Unilever is one of the worlds largest consumer goods companies, home to brands like Dove, Hellmanns and Vaseline, with products used by 3.4 billion people every day. And behind those everyday items is a deep and evolving commitment to science. From soap and margarine in the early 20th century to todays breakthroughs in sustainable packaging and personalized skincare, Research and Development (R&D) has always been our engine of progress. But now, that engine is being transformed by AI. AI is not just a new tool in our labs, it is a new way of thinking. And for a company with a centurys worth of scientific data, that is a game-changer. AI is reshaping every industry, but the companies that will be the most successful are the ones that know how to adapt, learn, and build on what they already know. While many legacy companies are exploring how to modernize through AI, the real opportunity lies in how they harness their institutional memory: the decades of research, product development, and consumer insights that can often sit untapped. This requires deep domain expertise, robust data stewardship, and a culture that values learning as much as legacy. When those elements align, AI can become a catalyst for transformation, by revealing the full potential of what has come before. Unilever was born in the Victorian era, shaped by the industrial and scientific revolutions. Over the decades, we have evolved by responding to cultural shifts; from the transformation of domestic life in the mid-20th century to todays shifting expectations around skin health, beauty, and wellbeing to the growing urgency of sustainability. When new materials like Formica and stainless steel became common in mid-century kitchens, our scientists developed products tailored to these surfaces. This was not just chemistry, it was a scientific response to a changing way of life. That same mindsetscience in service of real lifestill drives us today. But the questions were asking have become more complex: How do we support the skins natural microbiome? How do we clean homes without disrupting the ecosystems that live on our surfaces? How do we design products that are both effective and sustainable? These are not simple problems, and they require new ways of doing science. Thats where AI comes in. With machine learning, we can uncover patterns that would take human researchers hundreds of years to detect. We are using AI to understand how microbes interact with our products, how skin responds to environmental stressors, and how we can personalize formulations for different needs and regions. But here is what makes our approach uniquewe are not starting from scratch. Like many legacy companies our R&D archives stretch back over 100 years. We have records of every formulation, every trial, and every consumer insight. This historical depth gives our AI models something incredibly rare: context. While many companies are just beginning to build their data sets, established companies like ours are standing on a foundation that has been carefully constructed for generations. Our scientists can unlock proprietary knowledge that was once siloed, scattered across teams, or locked in an archive. A century of skincare expertise is now structured, searchable, and ready to be applied. We are using AI to connect the dots across decades of research, accelerating discovery in new materials while simultaneously optimising formulations for specific needs, like different skin types. Were moving from research and discovery to formulation design and refinement in a single, integrated process, helping us respond faster and more precisely to peoples needs around the world. This is not about replacing scientists with algorithms. It is about creating the conditions where human talent can thrive. Agentic AI systems give our teams the ability to ask better questions, explore more possibilities, and unlock insights from our data. By amplifying human creativity and empathy not automating it, were enabling our scientists to focus on what they do best: imagining, experimenting, and designing products that meet real human needs. So why should this matter to anyone outside Unilever? Because it shows what is possible when legacy meets learning. In an era where AI is reshaping every industry, the companies that thrive will not just be the newest or the loudest, they will be the ones that know how to adapt, how to learn, and how to build on what they already know. AI rewards data maturity. It rewards curiosity. And it rewards companies that see technology not as a threat to tradition, but as a way to reimagine it. We do not have all the answers. But we have learned that staying curious, being a learn-it-all not a know-it-all, is what keeps a company relevant for a century. AI is helping us stay curious at scale. We believe the next 100 years of innovation will be driven by companies that embrace the partnership between human talent and agentic AI: hybrid systems that augment creativity, empathy, and scientific intuition. This is not just a story about technology. It is a story about legacy, learning, and the enduring power of science to shape the everydayonly now with a little help from artificial intelligence. Alberto Prado is global head digital & partnerships at Unilever.
Category:
E-Commerce
In a world where leadership is often mistakenly understood as a position of control, Ive found that true impact comes from serviceleading not from above, but alongside your team to achieve success. This point was driven home about 15 years ago, when I made a resolution to read more books. Since starting this journey, one book stood out and shaped my leadership style more than any other: The Way of The Sheperd. It resonated with me so much that I even named my youngest son, Shep, after it. This book takes readers through core principles of servant leadership and outlines a leadership plan that showcases how true influence comes not from authority, but from trust, empathy, and a genuine devotion to the growth and well-being of your team. I reread this book once a year to remind myself that the most effective leaders are ones who lead with compassion, understand what motivates each team member, and empower everyone to hold themselves accountable. It underscores how a leader cant manage what they dont know, and how too many well-intentioned leaders focus solely on performance rather than their people. These lessons have influenced the way I lead, inspiring me to prioritize building trust and authentic connections with our team. At Kendra Scott, I make it a point to ensure everyone has direct access to memy email is always openand I encourage team members to reach out or schedule time to discuss anything on their minds. Company connections Weve also established a tradition of celebrating the meaningful connections within our company. For the past 9 years, weve passed down the shepherds staff. The tradition involves the current holder receiving the staff and keeping it for a set period of time before nominating someone else at the next family meeting. They share how this person has impacted them, add a meaningful token to the staff, and pass it on to the new nominee. The cycle continues from there. This simple yet powerful practice has reinforced our culture and the importance of the connections we share with one another. However, this modern leadership philosophy wasnt one that always came naturally to me. Growing up, my life was all about sports, which helped me become the first in my family to go to college. The competitive mindset required for sports can sometimes be too focused on the individual. But the real lesson I took away, doing whatever it takes with your team to win, shaped my early approach to leadership. 3 things I know As I moved into the business world and started working with founders like Ralph Lauren and Kendra Scott, I began to see how personal their connection to their companies was. That shifted my approach to leadership, and I started to focus more on building trust and creating a more supportive, nurturing environment for my team. Here are three things I know now: Fostering a sense of purpose leads to stronger performance Investing in your team and infusing every position with importance helps to instill passion and purpose in your employees. Every employee should be empowered to feel as if they represent a brands vision. This authentic connection fuels productivity and drives success. Making mistakes can be your biggest asset You learn the most through your mistakes. In those moments, the best lessons come from acknowledgement and accountability. As a leader, being transparent and vulnerable about your own missteps can set a tone that not only enhance company culture, but also make employees feel secure in taking risks. The importance of leading with a learners heart Great leaders are great learners. No one has all of the answers, regardless of their position in an organization. Thats why its important to maintain a culture of continuous learning and collaboration. The more you learn, the more tools and opportunities you have. In the end, leaders cant be successful without their team, and leadership isnt about control, power, or having all the answers. Its about showing up for your people, creating space for them to grow, and demonstrating humility through it all. Whether its by reading a book about servant leadership or establishing supportive methods, Ive learned that true leaders are those who cultivate intentional connections with their employees. There is still much to learn, and my journey is still unfolding, but one thing I know to be true is that leading with trust and empathy is the type of legacy worth leaving. Tom Nolan is CEO of Kendra Scott.
Category:
E-Commerce
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