If employers and managers treated people properly, valued them by rewarding and praising we would get fewer people maximising their perks," says Prof Cooper.
There is also a legal aspect to the perks dilemma. Under British law at least, most perks are taxable with the employer usually responsible for reporting them to HM Revenue and Customs at the end of the year.
Whatever the sociological reasons for perk maximisation, it will continue to be a daily ethical dilemma for millions of workers across the country. And for the ethicists, it's clear that it isn't just a question of the letter of the law, but also of how we are viewed within an organisation and our duty to set an example.
"The test is would you be embarrassed if everyone else knew you had done it," says Dr Molyneaux.
"It's quite a good rule of thumb. If you are not embarrassed write a thank you letter to be put on public display in the glass atrium of your office. That is quite a good test.