Do It Yourself

It doesn't always take lavish benefits to satisfy employees. Yoga, spring water, pet insurance and a culture of employee support can go a long way.

At some point, managers at the International Trade Commission -- an independent, Washington-based agency that works on trade issues and American global competitiveness -- realized that the salaries and benefits of their lawyers and other professionals might never match those in the private sector.

As the trade agency's human resources director, Jeri Buchholz, put it, "No amount of performance pay is ever going to make up that difference, but what we can offer is work-life balance."

So the agency turned to employees' creativity and initiative to come up with benefits that would make life better for them, without breaking the budget.

Every Wednesday and Thursday, thanks to one employee who is both meditative and industrious, the agency offers on-site yoga classes. Employees pay for the service, but the agency provides the space and flexible hours to make it possible.

"Our basic approach in terms of work-life is we don't say no," Buchholz said. "If somebody comes up with a good idea, we say 'sure.' We double check to make sure that it's not illegal. And then we offer up what we can."

That way of thinking also brought Deer Park spring water to the agency.

"The union was interested in getting water delivered," said Stephen McLaughlin, the agency's director of administration. "We said 'OK, how much is that going to cost?' As with a lot of these programs, it may cost 10, 15, 20 thousand dollars a year, but in terms of the agency budget, that's not a lot of money. This is all done with the understanding that … if we have hard times, these things will be on the chopping block."

Agency managers also wrapped the spring water into their emergency planning. Thanks to Deer Park, there is enough water to hydrate employees for a month at any given time.

In the courtrooms at the commission, you can find employees using scales, and not the scales of justice. That's because the agency sponsors a "Biggest Loser" contest -- based on the NBC reality television show where contestants compete to lose the most weight -- at the request of an employee. In the last round, employees lost a total of 266 pounds.

These initiatives are "good not only for the environment you live in and work in, [they are] good for developing leadership," McLaughlin said.

The agency is also planning to offer pet insurance at a group rate for employees who band together. It already pays dues for memberships in professional groups, such as the bar association, and covers half the costs of health and fitness programs, including Weight Watchers and gym memberships, up to a ceiling of $270 a year. The commission is too small to have its own gym.

Towana Braxton, vice president of American Federation of Government Employees ITC Local 2211, said the union actively solicits suggestions from employees on desired benefits, such as a room for mothers to pump breast milk, and managers generally embrace them.

"We have a really good partnership," Braxton said. "That is what keeps our staff motivated in working here and wanting to stay here."