Is there a personal concierge at your office?
In an effort to improve productivity among workers, companies like Campbell’s Soup and Mercedes-Benz are turning to personal concierge services, reports the New York Times.
The idea is to let someone else plan employees’ trips — both for work and leisure — find them a plumber or a dog sitter, or choose where to take their car for an oil change.
But it's not only industry giants that are offering such a perk. Smaller companies looking to differentiate themselves or simply help time-starved employees are signing on. Costs are based on either the number of employees or the number of requests.
Not all companies can afford to retain concierges year round, of course, so some use the service seasonally, generally when their busy season rolls around.
At Calgary's Time is Money, the company’s premium membership, called “Anytime, Anywhere,” puts staff on call for any errand you can dream up with an immediate response time. That level of service, however, runs as much as $1,000 annually, plus up to $93 per hour for some specialized services.
Click here for a directory of services in your area.
Do you have such a perk at work? Do you use it? Or have you made your own personal arrangements to get things done?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
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