Make sure to use your workplace perks

Some employers have programs for everything from retailer discounts to seasonal ski passes

- NINA DRAGICEVIC

(We encourage) employees to fully utilize everything, because there's a direct correlation to employee engagement, which leads to employee retention.

Everyone loves a deal, but many Canadians either forget or don't realize they can find discounts through their workplace.

"There really are a lot (of perks) that employees just don't seem to know about," said Debby Carreau, CEO and founder of Inspired HR, a human resources consultancy with offices across Canada. "Those things do become part of a total compensation package when you're looking holistically at what your total budget is. So if you're living paycheque to paycheque - as half of Canadians do- those things can really be helpful." There are a few reasons why employees might not be fully informed about workplace discounts - your job offer might not have included a detailed breakdown of all your benefits, large and small. Or your onboarding process was an information overload and you've forgotten, Carreau said.

It's even possible your onboarding "just wasn't very robust," she added.

On the high end of perks, Carreau pointed to extravagant examples from Silicon Valley-paid sabbaticals for travelling, on-site health care, free meals and dry cleaning but more commonplace examples include deep discounts at retailers.