Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAlister
Word of the Day: perk
Perk meaning a benefit, special privilege or bonus as a result of one’s position or employment, can be seen everywhere today. Restaurants offer perks to loyal customers and employers offer perks to boost employee productivity and morale. Logically the word seems to stem from the same “perk” used to mean stretch up or make lively, a word originally started as “percolate,” as in “coffee always perks me up.”
Then an article appeared in the newspaper that said, “Delta is increasingly looking for ways to encourage customers to pay extra for perqs rather than giving them as complimentary benefits.” It turns out that was a clue, not a typo.In the dictionary, the word perk meaning benefits is an abbreviation of “perquisite,” meaning something in addition to a salary. It’s a word easily confused with “prerequisite,” something required as a precondition.
The accepted spelling for the abbreviation of perquisite is perk, and perks is the plural. While perq is technically not incorrect, it is not found in the dictionary. The bottom line is, perquisites are not prerequisites for employment, but appealing perks like fresh perked coffee can certainly be used to perk up employee morale.
