WELL-MEANING bosses in the North-East are getting it wrong when it comes to workplace perks, new research shows.

The research, by Virgin Direct, highlights a growing divide between managers and staff over employee benefits.

So-called "softer" benefits, such as casual dress policies, are more popular than ever before, but cold hard cash is the real key to employees' hearts, as 80 per cent of workers in the region rank a pension with employer contribution the top work perk.

The divide deepens when it comes to family-friendly benefits. A creche in the workplace is important to 47 per cent of employees in the North-East, but only 12 per cent of companies in the region provide one.

Similarly, only 15 per cent of North-East companies allow their employees to take paternity leave, while 56 per cent of workers in the region place this high on their wish list.