Many companies are focused on reducing costs, while others are just trying to keep their best employees. People want to work for great companies, but they also want an excellent employee benefits package to go with that.
While a pension and some medical benefits used to be enough, today’s employees are savvier. Employees know that the service they provide a company is worth more than one week of vacation a year.
Here are some of the best employee benefits you must at least consider in 2022.
Remote Working
If you aren’t already offering remote work options to your employees, you are missing out on an opportunity.
Of course, some people love to work the typical 9-5 hours at the office. Yet, many employees prefer to work on their projects from the comfort of home.
There are many reasons that this works well. For those who enjoy it, they feel like remote working offers a better work-life balance. They can get their kids on the bus for school in the morning. There is less time and expense spent on commuting. They don’t have to rush home to start dinner because as soon as work is over, they are home.
Flexible Time-Off Arrangements
Too many companies are still limping along with PTO policies that barely give people any time off.
You’d think that more time off would mean that nothing would get done.
Instead, most companies who offer things like unlimited PTO find that their employees work harder when they work. Plus, they come back from their trips more refreshed.
Home Office Stipend
If you’re going to let people work from home, why not help them build a comfortable home office?
Some employees enjoy a sit-to-stand desk. Others like having multiple monitors to work from. Offering a home office stipend ensures that your staff gets the equipment they need to work from home effectively.
In the end, this benefits your business, because employees will be able to work without as many distractions.
Continuing Education
Many companies offer tuition reimbursement for education directly related to their current position.
That’s great, but what if an employee who works in sales wants to learn more about social media? What if someone in finance would like to learn more about marketing? There are many different options nowadays for people to learn something new.
Employers who offer a flexible stipend to discover new things find that their people stay working for them longer. Plus, they tend to work harder, since you are helping them improve themselves.
Flexible Medical Care
There are some things that medical plans don’t cover. Offering medical care plans that are more flexible will help your staff stay healthier throughout the year.
It’ll also help them with issues like infertility and testing their blood sugar levels at home. While medical plans can cover these things, sometimes they require countless referrals to get what they need.
Finding more flexible plans for your staff means they can get what they need more easily.
Cryptocurrency Investments
Everyone expects some type of retirement plan when they work for a large business.
Typically, this involves a 401K and matching programs. These have been around for decades. Newer companies are now offering cryptocurrency investments instead or in addition to.
Cryptocurrency is here to stay and like it or not. Therefore, you should take advantage of the great opportunities available for people who want to invest long-term.
Diversifying investments is always a good idea. So, when it comes to offering benefits to your staff, why not consider adding crypto as an option?
Paid Parental Leave Programs
Many countries overseas offer very generous paid parental leave programs for both moms and dads. These parents enjoy months off without the added stress of not making enough money to cover the bills.
In the U.S., the FMLA requires employers to hold the position for qualified employees who take time off after having a child. Although, they do not require you to pay your employees.
Some employers have mitigated this issue by offering short-term disability coverage that pays about 2/3 of the employee’s salary. Sadly, this amount is not enough for most people to live off of, especially with a new baby.
The result? Many men and women usually do not take a full three months off when their baby is born.
If you want to stand out in a sea of employers, be generous with your parental leave policies. Offer your staff full pay while they are out and flexible working arrangements after that.
Taking care of employees during this period of their lives will inspire lifelong loyalty and commitment to your business.
Pet Therapy
Some people love animals so much that their presence is actually therapeutic. Offering animal therapy, or allowing people to bring certain animals to work can create a more harmonious work atmosphere.
At first, having a cat or dog roaming around the workplace might seem like more of a distraction than part of employee benefits.
However, pets have a calming effect more often than not. Having a room where people can go to love on some animals may be the stress reliever your staff need.
Discount Plan for Necessary Services
Have you ever bought one of those discount cards from a high schooler who is raising money for their sports? Imagine this type of discount card from work.
Now, imagine that instead of just getting half off of ice cream, you would get 20% off insurance rates. Or, perhaps you could get discounts on home internet and office supplies.
Many employers are now coordinating discounts with a variety of companies to offer their employees discounts on everyday items.
Travel Stipend
Want to be a cool employer? Pay for your staff to go somewhere.
What if you offered incentive trips for people to earn when they did a great job? Or if you offered them a trip for hitting milestones like working for you for 5 years or 10 years?
Can you imagine how excited people would be to work for you? Do you know how easy it would be for you to keep the best talent?
The truth is that two weeks of vacation time and a medical plan aren’t enough to keep the best people. So, to make yourself more appealing to employees, offer a benefits package that stands out from the rest.
If you enact an appealing employee benefits package, your company will continue to be a great place to work.
