Employees are the life-blood of any business. Companies are therefore raising the bar by putting an increased focus towards employee benefits. This tactic can help to encourage and support productive people. It can also create an environment where employees will want to work, reducing staff turnover and in today’s competitive job market, it can help to attract top new talent.
Benefits are also good news for employees. After all, we spend a large proportion of our waking hours at work, so it’s important we’re made to feel valued and enjoy our time as much as possible.
When it comes to benefits, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Every employee has different needs and wants. Although popular employee benefits still include medical packages and pension funds, businesses are becoming much more innovative.
Here are 10 employee benefits you may want to keep in mind, which can assist your professional development, keep you fit and healthy, make life easier and help you to have more fun:
1. Professional development opportunities
If you’re looking to work your way up the career ladder, then you may want to consider developing your skills. Some employers will provide internal training opportunities, pay for external training courses, or reimburse you for attending relevant professional events. After all, the more you know, the better you’ll be able to do your job.
2. Parental leave employee benefits
Businesses understand that family time is important, especially when you’re a new Mum and Dad. Companies such as Facebook give 4 months paid leave for both parents, as well as $4,000 (USD) “baby cash”. Other businesses provide on-site child care and further financial assistance.
3. Free gourmet dining
It can be easy to run out the door and forget your lunch, or get into the habit of grabbing something quick but unhealthy. As an alternative, many companies now offer employees a delicious selection of complimentary food, so it can be one less thing for you to worry about in the mornings.
4. Bring your pets to work schemes
Did you know that having your pet at work could make you happier and therefore more productive? A number of businesses now have their own “Pets at work” schemes, so employees no longer need to worry about leaving beloved pets at home alone all day. At Salesforce, each pet gets their own special ID badge and can stay in a dog-friendly room, with soundproofed walls and dog beds. If that’s not enough, they also offer discounts on pet insurance, provide dog walking services and many more pet related employee benefits.
5. Regular social events
If you feel like you’re always in the office, you may be interested in businesses who offer a wide range of social events for employees to get involved in. These can include anything from BBQs and sporting events, to charitable evenings and teambuilding days.
6. Flexible and remote working
Do you need to take the kids to school in the morning? Do you want to join a running club that starts before you can get home? Or are you just not a morning person? Flexible working arrangements allows you to fit work around your own commitments. For even more flexibility, you could work remotely. This allows you to say goodbye to your daily commute, have fewer distractions and be more productive, whilst staying happier and become less stressed.
7. Student loan repayments
Worried you’ll never be able to pay off your student loan? Businesses such as PwC help by reimbursing $1,200 (USD) a year, in order for you to make payments towards your student debt.
8. Employee wellness programs
To work at your best, it’s important to stay fit and healthy. An increasing number of businesses are therefore offering employee benefits such as relaxation rooms, yoga classes and free gym memberships. Twitter has even been known to provide on-site acupuncture!
It’s also important to relax by having some fun, with some businesses extending their employee benefits to include TV rooms, foosball, ping pong and pool tables. And let us not forget that many of Google’s offices have indoor slides, because who wants to use stairs?
9. Helpful concierge services
When you’re at work all day, the last thing you want is to get home to another “to do” list. Instead, an increasing number of businesses are offering employees a concierge service, who can do anything from booking an electrician, to organising your next holiday. Some businesses like Google have taken this one step further by providing dry cleaning, car washing services and haircuts.
10. Time off to follow your passions
Many of us struggle with our work life balance and so how would you like to have an unlimited amount of time off? LinkedIn for example have introduced a “Discretionary Time Off” (DTO) plan, which helps to shift focus from hours worked, to results.
This article was originally featured as "10 employee benefits you wish your company had" on the Robert Half Australia Blog.
