Seducing and retaining quality hires is a serious concern. Guys and Gals with the right letters next to their names demand more than a dental plan and a swivel chair with lumbard support. That's why companies are beefing up on the little extras they dole out to their employees--and no, we are not talking about little perks, like that measly $.50 you save when you order a value meal at McDonald, these perks are really perky. Picture the faces worn by pre-pubescent fans in the front row of an N'Synch concert or Pamela Anderson in a push-up bra for a good idea of how perky company benefits can be these days. Free swag, bling bling, booty, whatever name you prefer--perks are plentiful, and they are everywhere.

Why, you ask are corporate denizens suddenly so generous? Well companies are finally realizing that their employees may actually be worth more than the office supplies they hoard and the coffee they guzzle. Then of course there are all those tech companies attracting University grads(mostly from Waterloo incidentally) with their frat-boy fooseball tables and weekly ultimate frisbee matches. So now that lifestyle has started entering the career path equation, companies feel the need to revamp the concept of work to include play. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it!

By now your jaw has probably dropped and you are salivating on this page, wondering what kind of freebies your future employee will divee up. Shame on you, don't you know gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins. Get yourself a napkin and wipe up your spittle from this page, and get yourself some cutlery while your at it because one of the biggest ways companies get to your heart is through your stomach.

Epicurean amenities come in thirty-six flavours and tantalizing, mouth watering aromas. Since everybody loves ice cream, except maybe Calista Flockhart, many companies stock freezers full of Breyers and Ben & Jerry's to sate employees need for cold sweets. A friend of mine works at an incubator where they get free pizza for lunch on Fridays and there are other companies that employ first class chefs in their cafeterias.

And if you consider yourself a gamer, an audiophile, or a movie buff, prepare for a sensory surge when you step into the office. State of the art entertainment systems are becoming increasingly popular in mid to large sized companies. Your Doctor's office may pump out elevator muzak on the p.a system, but I'm talking deep bass sub woofers that can blow out some pulsating hip-hop beats for the more urban office environment, and maybe some ambient Stereolab to keep the number crunchers alive down in accounting. My brother worked for a Vancouver-based software company with one of those mammoth-sized televisions equipped with a play station that kept employees twiddling their thumbs for hours upon hours of overtime. GE Power Systems e-business staff has a roller rink encircling their cubicle forest so that when employees want to let out some pent up steam they can do laps around the office.