Piscines Ideales, Europe’s biggest swimming pool builder, wins plenty of awards as a good place to work. And for employees who get married it is even better – they get a month’s extra salary, loans to start their new life together and the company even puts the chief executive’s and chairman’s cars at their disposal for the wedding.

In addition, the patter of little feet attracts a bonus of €500 per child and, perhaps mindful of Europe’s tumbling birth rate, the company doubles this from the third child onwards. Chief executive Stelios Stavridis says the scheme comes from an “intense desire” to promote work-life balance.