It was the best of times ...

Clive's recent post on his new work canteen prompted Proustian memories of my own experiences of this wonderful phenomenon. Oxford University's central administration building had a great canteen, much used by the single men who worked in the offices. They'd eat a decent cooked meal every lunchtime, and then have beans on toast or soup in the evening -- saving lots of money in the process. It was also a top-notch location for our morning tea and afternoon coffee breaks -- considerably better value than the Maison Blanc round the corner, although the slightly stale chocolate bourbons couldn't really compete with MB's apricot croissants. Rewley House, home of Oxford's continuing education department, went one better: We had mandatory tea breaks morning and afternoon, with free tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and biscuits. Our department chief thought that we all needed a break from our computer screens -- this was back in the day when health and safety figured that staring at a screen for more than a couple of hours was bad for you -- and it was a great opportunity for us secretaries to get hold of the otherwise elusive academics that we worked with. And it worked. If I ever get to run a team of more than one person, I think I'll institute compulsory tea breaks, too.

The mother of all work canteens, though, had to be at Norwich Union. As part of every employee's benefits package, we got a full meal every day. Soup or juice to start, a choice of three or four main courses or a salad bar, dessert, cheese and biscuits and coffee. A roast lunch on Wednesdays, fish on Fridays, or you could opt for sandwiches/crisps/yoghurt if you didn't fancy a cooked meal. My colleagues in the Defined Benefits Pension section had a finely honed routine: Clock out at 12:00 and charge down the 9 flights of stairs to the canteen to be first in line; the obligatory 30 minutes for lunch, then back up the 9 flights of stairs to clock back in at 12:30. Then, settle down with The Guardian's quick crossword -- or cryptic, if we were feeling adventurous -- for a further 30 minutes before starting on our calculations once again. Despite having a hefty 3 or 4 courses each day, we didn't put on weight -- climbing 9 flights of stairs twice a day put paid to that. And it gave you enough energy to get through the afternoon's work easily, far better than the temporary carb boost you get from a packet of chilled sandwiches and a Mars Bar or the aching, empty sensation that comes along an hour after finishing off a salad.

My two summers at Norwich's finest insurance company have clearly spoiled me for any other employer. The lunches, the flex time, the sports facilities at Pinebanks ... even, I should point out, the Norwich Union flat in which I was born. And if my parents hadn't pretty much forced me to take up a job offer in London, clearly determined to have the house to themselves again after a year of me living at home, I'd probably still be there. If companies want to gain employee loyalty, perhaps they should stop looking just at salary and start providing these other services -- they're the things I remember most about my different jobs, not how much I was paid or what I actually did. Although, that could just be my food-focused nature. Reader, what do you think? What employee benefits are most important to you?