Company car, meal vouchers*, fuel cards, holiday vouchers… Everyone knows (and appreciates) benefits in kind.
To boost team motivation, retain employees, and enhance the company’s attractiveness, salary alone is not always enough. It is therefore common to offer benefits in kind, which complement the employee’s remuneration while reducing expenses they would otherwise have to cover themselves.
While some benefits are widespread in France, they may be less common—or even completely absent—in other countries. Thus, when you go to work abroad, you may be surprised by the differences in certain components of compensation that you were used to.
France: Diverse and Growing Benefits in Kind
In France, benefits in kind have become increasingly popular in recent years. Among the most sought-after perks are meal vouchers. Highly appreciated and available to companies of all sizes, they provide employees with partial coverage of their meals by the employer. Corporate catering is also very popular: although different, it likewise helps save money while saving employees time.
For executives and professionals who travel frequently, it is common to receive a company car. It is also not uncommon for companies to provide holiday vouchers, which can cover all or part of a trip or activity. Other benefits may include work-related IT equipment that can also be used personally, or the provision of housing. In any case, benefits in kind in France are numerous and continue to become more widespread and diverse.
Germany: Company Cars and Competitive Benefits
In Germany, benefits in kind (geldwerter Vorteil) are a major competitive factor and are often used to attract skilled personnel. The most popular perk in Germany is the company car. In many cases, this vehicle can be used for private trips, which is a significant advantage.
Another highly popular benefit is employee discounts, which can apply to a wide range of products and services offered or sold by the company. German companies may also provide other perks, such as coverage for childcare for young children, health promotion initiatives, or company-provided housing. The Jobrad (“work bike”) is becoming an increasingly popular benefit. It allows employees to save on purchasing a bicycle while promoting eco-friendly mobility through gross salary financing.
Overall, benefits in kind are a key lever for the competitiveness of German companies, combining attractiveness for the employer with financial, practical, and ecological advantages for employees.
Luxembourg: Benefits Dependent on the Industry
Similar to Germany, Luxembourgish employers use benefits in kind to attract new talent or encourage existing employees to stay with the company. However, the type and frequency of these benefits vary by industry, with some sectors offering them more systematically than others. Nearly half of employees in the financial, real estate, scientific, technical, and administrative sectors receive benefits in kind, compared to a much lower proportion in services, trade, transport, hospitality, catering, and communication.
Popular benefits include meal vouchers, similar to France’s restaurant tickets, or access to a company cafeteria, as well as the provision of a company car for both professional and private use—though this is more commonly offered to executives or traveling sales staff. Other perks, such as company-provided housing, low-interest loans, or coverage of employees’ children’s school fees, are also offered and highly valued.
Belgium: Meal Vouchers, Eco-Vouchers, and Differentiated Benefits
Among the most common benefits in kind in Belgium, meal vouchers take the lead. They are followed by eco-vouchers, which allow employees to finance eco-friendly and sustainable purchases, and by reimbursement for commuting using a personal vehicle.
Other benefits offered by Belgian companies include the provision of IT equipment for personal use—especially for sales staff, who often have a company phone and plan they can use freely—as well as hospitalization insurance to cover employees during unexpected hospital stays.
The type of benefits in kind, however, varies according to professional category. In some companies, workers more frequently receive sports and cultural vouchers or reimbursement for commuting expenses, while employees are more often offered work tools that can also be used privately, such as IT equipment or a company car. These trends also vary depending on the sector, company size, and collective agreement.
Meal Vouchers*
Although they are considered professional expenses for tax purposes, we focus here on the benefits that employers can offer employees to complement their salary. In this regard, meal vouchers represent a major advantage for employees.
