Human Resource Management 15th Edition by Robert Mathis,John Jackson,Sean Valentine ,Patricia Meglich

Exercise 1

Aspenware, a software developer in Denver, goes beyond free lunches and days off for skiing. It offers employees free time to pursue projects that have potential as a startup, subsidiary, or new line of business. Janet Mclllece recently spent 10 to 20 hours per week for six months trying to find ways to explain complex data on the health of a stream to nontechnical audiences. Aspenware freed her to work on the project with her brother, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They also paid for a three-day visit to Spokane for the project. Financing would have been available had the project turned into a business, with ownership stakes for Mclllece. But that did not occur.
The market for software developers is very tight, forcing employers to devise ways to retain them. Some notable perks include petsitting services, in-house chefs, and a lifetime supply of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. But the inhouse incubation program at Aspenware goes beyond that, allowing employees to discover their entrepreneurial and creative nature. The company carves out time and provides financing for ideas that may lead to a new line of business or a spin-off start-up.
Aspenware's founder stated, "Any of our people can get a job anywhere given their talent.... There are lots of things we have to try to make sure this is an environment people want to be in."
These words highlight how companies must provide the kinds of perks people want to improve employee retention. Based on these ideas, consider the following questions:
How would you evaluate Aspenware's use of perks to help improve retention? Is there anything you would do differently?