Work Perks Employee Benefits 3AW 693AM Radio Melbourne with Laura Spurway

By Sue Ellson

Topic: Gap Years

Date: 8 April 2026

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

Broadcaster / Interviewer: Laura Spurway

Producer: Bianca Johnston

Time Stamp: 00:41:50 – 00:48:44

Duration Total: 00:06:54

Time of show: 13:08pm

Audio Recording:

Video Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdVTGpPOecY

Transcript

I’m going to pivot to what happens in your workplace mainly when it comes to perks that you get or lack thereof. 133693. What do you get as part of your job? What have you heard that friends or family have been given as part of theirs? If you got more work perks, would you work harder? Because a lot of us are not getting pay rises and we’re not even getting CPI increases as cost of living also increases. So, what has your workplace done to keep you motivated? Clearly, the days of overseas junkets, lavish dinners, and days at the races, you know, might have been something that you’ve done in the past. They’ve staged a comeback in the financial advice industry, but you know, that’s an industry where they’re still making a little bit of money. An article in the Fin Review today is also calling for hydration breaks to be brought into the office. That’s from the World Cup, inspiration from the World Cup, which of course has introduced the hydration breaks during game. Hydration breaks, aka ad breaks, let’s be honest. But how would you feel about a hydration break being enforced at your workplace? And do you see everyone benefiting from a forced break? Sue Ellson is a career expert and joins me now. Thank you for your time on 3AW.

Hi, Laura.

What sort of perks, workplace perks, have you heard of?

Uh well there’s a lot of different ones and it turns out um some research by Robert Half last year showed that 62% of people want more money obviously uh but 38% are still high up there with flexible workplace hours and another 36% would like more benefits of various types. So, I guess it’s going to depend on your individual situation and the type of work that you do and have a conversation with your employer about what’s available to you because a lot of people uh an interesting one that’s coming up now is that more people are interested in discounted health insurance

Yep

which you can sometimes get through a large employer. And another interesting one is financial wellness. So, a lot of people are not managing their money well. So anything that can help them be more um flexible and and and able to manage their money um some of those perks are coming in uh as of interest to people as well.

So I think the work from home and obviously there’s a discussion here with you know the thought that it’ll be mandated where possible Mmm for what possible workplaces that to me is is sort of now almost becoming an entitlement that the people think they should have

Yes

like gone of the days where we don’t have that kind of environment where you go into the office five days.

Mmm

So there’s a new generation of workers coming through where that’s just the way that it is

Yes

as opposed to something that we’ve never had previously

Mmm

and is now seen as a perk.

It is, but also I don’t think you should underestimate flexible work overall. So that could mean that you arrive really early in the morning and you leave early in the afternoon and because it’s better for traffic or commuting or something like that. It also could mean that if you’re not feeling the best, you don’t want to pass it on, you’re not sick enough to go and take sick leave, uh that you would work from home that day. So, it’s not just about working from home. I would say it’s more having the flexibility around your your lifestyle. So, if there’s two people looking after children, one could do the morning shift, one could do the afternoon shift, and that kind of thing. So, yeah, it’s not just working from home. Being flexible in your approach is very helpful. And I know one employer who says that um they’ve got remote staff and they know that this person likes working at 10:00 o’clock at night, you know, so they allow them to do their hours when it suits them.

What’s the line, Sue? Because I’ve got a friend who who works in an industry where the excuse for not coming into work has been the traffic is bad where I live

Ohh

and where I come from to come into work. So, I feel like there’s an avenue there where you go, are we really at the point where you can use bad traffic as an excuse to not come into the office?

Oh I wouldn’t think so. Personally, um I’m a huge advocate of working close to home so that you get the benefit of not having a long commute, but also being an active member of your local community. And I think it’s incumbent upon us as individuals to take responsibility for that. Now this research also showed that if people were not happy with their perks they would 41% would discuss that with their manager um but you know that means obviously you know nearly 60% of people are not even prepared to talk about it and 28% will actually go and look somewhere else for a different job.

So yeah take a bit of accountability yourself and I think yeah no I’d say just saying it’s bad traffic all the time that I wouldn’t wear that as an employer.

Mmm. So that was going to be my next question. What do you think will happen if workplaces don’t look at this or or make more of an effort I suppose to make their workplace appealing?

Mmm. Well, obviously there’s always been a war for talent and always that the people who who keep getting work are the ones who provide the most value. So yes, if you’re an employer looking for good quality staff, you’re going to want the people who can add the most value. And if you’re an employee trying to get the best value and return on the time that you spend at work, then you need to be able to demonstrate that value to them. So yeah, it’s it’s hard to know where it’s going to go. I think that a lot of businesses are very concerned with all the rules that they have to abide by now and the right to disconnect and and this working from home and so on. And I’m finding a number of people who’ve worked in partnership with other people in the past are saying, “Look, it’s all getting too hard. I’m just going to use the technology to be my assistant rather than have staff.” So, yep. I I think yeah, there’s going to be a big shakeup over time. I I think also I was at a function last week and we’re all talking about AI and how that’s disrupted a lot of business opportunities for smaller businesses and we all came to the conclusion that we think that AI bubble is going to burst in about six months when people realize the tech can’t do the work a human can and then it will come back. So there’s a lot of variables in the workplace at the moment.

Final question from me.

Mmm.

What would be your top work perk? What would you like? What would make you work harder?

Um, look, me personally, I like a bit of autonomy and I like being able to do things, you know, being left to do that, but I also really, really value a team environment where everybody, you know, makes it a joy to come in and you feel part of the team. Uh, so yeah, that would that would be mine.

Thank you, Sue. Appreciate your time.

Thanks, Laura.

Sue Ellson there, career expert talking work perks and hydration breaks. We were having a chat in here about

Social Share

WORK PERKS // What sort of work perks or employee benefits do you enjoy at work? 🤔 In this interview with Laura Spurway on Tapt Media‘s 3AW Radio Melbourne Afternoon Program, we discussed:

✅ new perk ideas like hydration breaks inspired by the World Cup
✅ Robert Half research showing:

62% of people want more money
38% value flexible workplace hours
36% want more benefits of various types

✅ growing interest for discounted health insurance (sometimes available through large employers)
✅ interest in financial wellness support
✅ flexible work beyond working from home including flexible start/end times to avoid traffic, remote work when unwell but not needing sick leave or offering late-night work if that is a person’s preference
✅ aiming to work closer to home to reduce commute issues
✅ the “war for talent” and if employees aren’t happy with perks:

41% would discuss concerns with their manager
About 28% would look for another job instead
Nearly 60% are not even willing to raise the issue

✅ employers need to offer enough value to attract and retain talent
✅ businesses are increasingly concerned about compliance requirements, including “right to disconnect” and flexible-work rules
✅ some employers may respond by reducing reliance on staff and using technology or AI
✅ predicting that the AI “bubble” may burst in about six months, as tech can’t fully replace what humans can do
✅ my own preferred work perk is autonomy and a strong team environment where it feels enjoyable and inclusive.

Thanks to Producer Bianca Johnston for the invitation to contribute!

➡️ What work perks do you think are important?

https://sueellson.com/blog/work-perks-employee-benefits-3aw-693am-radio-melbourne-with-laura-spurway

#workperks #3aw #sueellson

Further information

Robert Half Research – What workers want from their job in 2025
https://www.roberthalf.com/au/en/about/press/what-workers-want-from-their-job-in-2025

Fair Work Ombudsman – Employment Conditions
Individual breaks are determined by awards, enterprise agreements and other registered agreements that determine the length of the breaks,
when they need to be taken and the rules about payment.
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/hours-of-work-breaks-and-rosters/breaks

Flexibility in the workplace
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/flexibility-in-the-workplace

Salary Sacrificing with Example
https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/jobs-and-employment-types/working-as-an-employee/salary-sacrificing-for-employees

Gifts and Benefits Government – Public Interest
https://www.vic.gov.au/dtp-gifts-benefits-and-hospitality-policy-july-2025

Income you must declare
https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/income-deductions-offsets-and-records/income-you-must-declare

Mercer’s Australian Benefits Review
https://www.mercer.com/en-au/insights/total-rewards/employee-wellbeing/employee-benefits-trends-in-australia-2025/