3 actually useful job perks you didn't know you wanted

These days, it's all about the perks: companies, possibly in lieu of an abundance of jobs or exorbitant salaries, have made an effort to outdo each other in the perk department. Netflix upped the ante in 2015 by announcing a year of paid family leave, and Facebook went as far as to offer egg freezing. And while those are certainly offers that will make you pause, the majority of us not working at the world's most sought-after tech jobs may wonder what's left on the table for the regular folk. Enter: these interesting offers.

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While smaller companies struggle to present competitive packages to new employees, perks and benefits can be a great place of leverage for hirees. When there isn't a lot of cash left over, it can be appealing for companies to take the hit in other forms of investment.
These may not be the perks you find in your next offer, but be inspired: great benefits are around the corner; you just have to know what you're looking for!
College Classes
Your company may not have a tutor on hand to teach you the finer points of theoretical physics, but that doesn't mean going to to work for a small company has to end your educational path. Companies would do well to take a page out of Starbucks' playbook and create a college plan. With this perk, employees can take classes and get reimbursed as they advance their degree — a move that's great for both the worker, and the business investing in their future.
Pet Bereavement Leave
It may sound silly, but it's not the biggest morale booster when you're taking an extra coveted vacation day off the books just so you can deal with your cat, dog, or tiger. And a surprising number of companies have figured this out: companies are now offering pet-specific time off. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in San Francisco even offers a three-day pet bereavement leave.
"Sabbatical"
Rather than just asking for a big block of unpaid time off, some employees leverage their dreams of "unlimited vacation" into a productive would-be sabbatical. Universities often pay their professors to take off time from teaching to work on something in their field — like a book. Likewise, Timberland pays its employees to take 40 hours off per year for volunteer work. You don't have to be at the top of a lofty industry to take time and do good things.

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