Knowledge- and career development as a perk

Recently, The Muse published an infographic comparing some awesome "perks" employees at Facebook and Google are offered. Apparently, you are offered free food, free gym and healthcare, colourful and inspiring offices and events that promote a friendly culture within the company.

However, I did not find anything related to competence- or knowledge development, or career coaching.

We can assume that most careers are likely to span several employments. For employers, this means we get to hire experienced professionals as they move on to new challenges. As employees, this means that we need to keep our knowledge updated to sustain market value when time comes for a change.

Some organisations may have observed that employees with high market value are over-represented in turnover. On the other hand, brilliant people seem to attract other of the same kind.

I believe that maximizing the market value of each employee in an organization would actually attract even more high-end people rather than making everybody leave for other companies.

A company with this belief among its core values would proudly offer their employees knowledge- and career enhancing perks:

• Recurring workshops and company conferences for exploring new technology and idéas in the field.
• A generous budget for courses and conferences.
• Trend-spotting and hype evaluation.
• Encouraged public speaking and writing.
• Celebration of gained insights and improved skills.

The consultancy I'm currently involved in is built this way. Basically, we want the company to work for its employees, not the other way around. We are about 200 employees which of about 130 are stockholders in the company.

So, besides getting free lunch and a ping pong table, I think you should expect your employer to care about (and coach you in) keeping your skills sharp, knowledge updated and maximizing your market value.