Workplace Perks 3AW 693AM Radio Melbourne with Tony Moclair

By Sue Ellson

Topic: Workplace Perks

Date: 12 August 2025

Media Outlet: 3AW 693AM Melbourne https://www.3aw.com.au

Broadcaster / Interviewer: Tony Moclair

Producer: Joseph Campbell

Duration: 00:02:13 – 00:11:57 Total 00:09:44

Time of show: 12:10pm

Audio Recording:

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qfNfQFhvrQ

Workplace Perks on 3AW 693 AM Radio Melbourne with Tony Moclair and Sue Ellson

Transcript

Here is a pretty remarkable fact and it’s to do with the modern workplace. Uh, two stories that piqued my interest. Firstly, reading that thousands of dollars in travel and residential allowances, a baby bonus, referral awards, luxury camps with golf courses, and six figure salaries are among the perks that some mining workers are being offered in Australia. 13 3693. I mean that if you have you had a perk that can match any of that after two years you get a watch. You officially get a watch. It’s remarkable. Uh and in The Age there’s an article there just talking about the revolution that’s going on in the office space and uh you can understand why it’s all about luring people back to the office uh for five days rather than three. Uh and uh in the spirit of that we’re seeing prayer rooms, meditation rooms, focus zones, gymnasiums or gymnasia if you’re pedantic. So 13 3693.

What is the best work perk you’ve ever experienced throughout your employment history? Is there just been one that rises above all others as just a remarkable perk that made working at the particular job you’re at, that much more enjoyable? And if you were to design an office for yourself, what is the one thing it needs? Maybe you’ve had that one thing in an office. Maybe it was a prayer room or a focus zone. Uh at 3AW, we were um we were spoilt really. Um and it it was just great that management took the hint and finally installed that deep fat fryer. It didn’t last long though. Um we’d put too many um non-food items in it, uh after Friday night booze ups which don’t happen anymore I can assure you but no we had a deep fryer and then we didn’t.

We had a pie warmer, that’s still there and we’ve got a coffee machine so they’re my nominations for workplace perks. 13 3693 Have you had the great workplace perk 13 3693 and what does an office need in your experience? What is the one thing it needs? Does it need a ping-pong table? That’s another perk we have here at the radio station we do have a ping pong table somebody who has given this much thought joins me now. Sue Ellson, Career Expert. Good afternoon, Sue.

Hi, Tony.

How do you reckon you and I would go at a game of ping pong uh here at 3AW? How’s your form?

Well, it’s not great. Uh but I think it would be terrible for the sound.

Yes.

You know, like if you’re trying to have a radio program next to a ping pong table, that could be a challenge.

Well, that was mentioned in the uh The Age article.

Mmm.

That it can be a a disturbance. How do you get the balance right if you’re an employer?

Well, you really need to ask the employees because they’re the ones who are turning up on a regular basis. And look at the spread of employees that you’ve got. So, one of the employers I work with, they had a number of young people come into the organization uh along with a lot of their experienced staff and they just found that the young people couldn’t pick up all the new skills unless they were in the office at least two days a week.

Mmm.

To learn off of those other employees. So I I think it’s really going to be very much dependent on the organization. But I also know another person who’s happy to commute for an hour and a quarter every day from the far South Eastern suburbs because they like the culture of the organization.

Ahh.

So if you get it right, you know, people will come.

All right. Then what is the mining industry not getting right? If it’s throwing all these baubles at its employees.

Mmm.

Does that uh maybe signal that uh times aren’t happy in that industry or are employees playing hard to get?

Well, it could be a little bit of both. I mean, the mining industry does have some negative reputation.

Mmm.

I I remember going to an event some years ago when they said they brought in a lot more women truck drivers because they found that they didn’t bash the trucks going around the mining site as much as the blokes did.

Yep.

Um not being disrespectful in any respect there. But also some people, you know, long periods away from home, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw at them, they’re not interested. Uh I thought one of the interesting perks they’re offering is that baby bonus. If you’ve got young children, it can be easier to live in a remote location.

Yeah.

But once they get over the age of 10, luring those workers to stay in that environment, you know, could be really tricky for family reasons and and that that could be more challenging. But the other thing that can make a significant difference is whether or not the company puts down not only the salary, but all the other perks in the advertisement.

Mmm.

Because a lot of people think, look, if I just throw that big salary in, then we’ll we’ll tell them about all the other perks when they get through the interview process. But I would argue it would be much better if you put all the perks and all the the details in there so that people can make an informed decision and and consider applying in the first place.

13 3693. What’s the best work perk you have ever had or maybe you’re currently enjoying one? 13 3693. And what does every office need? um perks they have to I’m just wondering how you how you would counsel a business on this.

Mmm.

So um it it’s a bit like playing favourite as a parent, isn’t it? If if you need more engineers, then you’re going to lavish them with perks. But that means the people doing payroll are missing out.

Well, I guess you need to look at the whole work place. And one of the people I work with, they have team days where they go out and they do a group activity together.

Mmm.

And the whole office leaves the building and we’ve done various things including painting activities and and meals together and you know all sorts of things. But on the company time and I think that gives people a bit of an extra incentive. Another employer, they put on um a working lunch and they provide the sandwiches and you know that were very exotic sandwiches.

Mmm.

I have to say. But then the people got even more fussy and said, “Oh, we want a carb free option.”

Ohh.

So I think people are getting a little bit precious uh with you know some of the benefits and like you I enjoyed many uh drinks on a Friday night after work uh back in the early part of my career not drinking alcohol but really enjoyed that social time.

Yeah.

With my colleagues and and it was really nice to make time for those opportunities because there’s a lot of conversations we don’t have and if people don’t know a little bit about us in you know our life outside of work. It’s a bit harder to engage on the daily basis as well.

That is a that is a great point. I did my first trivia night with the sales team last Thursday and we had a lot of fun.

Good.

So, um it’s a it’s a it’s a good thing to do in your experience and and being very close to the pulse of employers and employees.

Mmm.

And by the way, I’m speaking to Sue Ellson, a Career Expert. You probably saw the article in The Age and with buildings being reconfigured.

Mmm.

Um employers going to employees and saying what do you want? Um, do you think it’s likely to lure people back to the five-day office experience if they have things like prayer rooms or all the uh all the other things that um that are being uh factored into the new office workspace?

Look, I think a lot of those things are going to be highly beneficial because obviously if you need a quiet space to work, then that little opportunity to get away from the rest and focus on a task is is going to be really really helpful. But I don’t think it’s the the answer to everything.

I think you’ve still got to look at um you know how each individual person works. And so for instance um another little statistic that’s being found is if you spend $1 on mental health programs, you get a $4 return on that investment. So there could be something that’s quite obscure.

Yeah.

And I remember going into a workplace fairly recently and all the desks were there but nobody was in them and so you feel it’s a bit of a ghost town when you go in. So if you’ve allocated let’s say your workplace says two days a week we do prefer it if everybody is in the office on those two days.

Yeah.

Then you’re going to get that group experience together and not feel like you’re coming in quiet. But then there’s another employee that comes into the office because they know if they stay at home they’ll get distracted and they’re actually more focused in the workplace. So yeah, it’s horses for courses really. It’s you can’t sort of give some broad brush stroke.

Yeah.

Even things like pet friendly options of helping people um manage their pets and pet insurance. I mean all sorts of weird little perks are coming up nowadays that we would never have considered in a million years um 20 years ago.

Mmm.

If my employer is listening, can I just say an embarrassingly large pay rise would be great for my mental health.

Ha ha.

I’m just I think I’m yeah, I’m no psychiatrist, but. I’m sure you could find some fun things to do with that.

Yes. No, I absolutely agree. And believe it or not, 25% of people will not apply for a job if there’s no salary listed.

Mmm.

So you could be missing on the best candidates simply because you don’t promote that high pay rise.

Yep.

And yeah, now that the Workplace Gender Equality Agency is measuring the pay gap and all that sort of thing, it’s becoming more transparent. And there was some rumblings about forcing employers to list the salary on every job ad. Uh I can tell you plenty of candidates would love to see that happen.

Uh that and the uh listing of a deep fryer in the communal kitchen would go a long way.

Ha ha.

Sue Ellson, Career Expert, thank you for your time as always.

Thanks, Tony.

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WORKPLACE PERKS // What would encourage you and your co-workers to spend more time in the workplace? I discussed a variety of workplace perks with Tony Moclair on 3AW 693AM Radio Melbourne including:

✅ having a ping pong table in the workplace
✅ younger workers learning from more experienced workers
✅ being willing to commute for a good workplace culture
✅ mining industry workplace incentives
✅ women truck drivers in mining
✅ raising young children in remote locations
✅ understanding the needs of children over 10 years old
✅ listing salary and perks in job advertisements
✅ entire workplace social activities
✅ activities during working hours
✅ working lunches with refreshments
✅ social chats after work hours
✅ individual worker needs for quiet spaces
✅ spending $1 on mental health programs and receiving a $4 return
✅ value of no distractions at work if distracted working at home
✅ pet friendly perks including pet insurance payments
✅ value of a large pay rise
✅ 25% of people will not apply for a job if there’s no salary listed
✅ listing offered salary on all job advertisements