If a stellar employee is looking at two identical monetary job offers, they may very well go to the company with better benefits. You want to ensure that you have the best employees in the best seats, so investing in great benefits as you grow is a surefire way to attract exceptional talent. Here are seven workplace benefits that will net you great people every time.
1. (Good) Health Insurance
If 2020 has taught us anything, health insurance is essential. If you want the best employees, you need health insurance plans to cover your employees and their families without costing too much money to the employee.
Think of new ways to help your people when it comes to taking care of their physical health. For example, Zomato recently made headlines when they announced that they’d give all women (including transgender people) up to ten days of period leave. You could also invest in general sick days, so employees don’t have to tap into their vacation days to take a day off.
2. Remote Working Options
Right now, most companies are working from home if they can. While working in an office has its perks, many employees are starting to see the value of working from home. If you want to compete and grab the best talent in the future, remote work can’t just be for emergencies. How do you intend to work when things return to normal?
3. Wealth Management
Americans aren’t prepared for retirement. Work with your employees to understand what would help them manage their money more effectively. As an employer, support your employees and their wealth management with the following:
● Education about things like retirement, taxes, and other financial topics.
● Employer matches for things like 401(k)s, FSAs, and charitable donations.
● Employee stock purchase plans for larger corporations.
● Scheduled bonuses and raises to increase wages.
4. Professional Development
Your employees want to leave your company knowing more than they did when they joined. Are you stifling your employees by not investing in professional development? Professional development helps you and your employees, so it’s worth the investment. Set a budget for each employee to use throughout the year, and watch your employees learn (and contribute to the company with that knowledge!)
5. Vacation Time (Your Employees Feel Comfortable Taking)
Even during the current pandemic, vacation time is essential. We can’t keep going like the Energizer bunny! Make sure that your employees feel comfortable taking time off. You can do this by setting an example for them. When was the last time you or a company executive took a day off? Especially when travel is low, remind your employees that vacation is more than adding stamps to a passport.
6. Family Planning
As companies grow, so should their families. Do your employees feel comfortable having kids and raising their families? If not, it might be time to include family planning benefits. Providing benefits like family leave, childcare reimbursement, and access to things like birth control will help your employees feel good and grow their families.
7. Lifestyle Benefits
Last, you might consider offering various lifestyle benefits to your employees. These can be things like:
● Gym memberships
● Healthy meals/snacks
● Dry cleaning
● Music/entertainment subscriptions (Spotify, Netflix, Disney+, etc.)
● Company car/vehicles
These benefits aim to make your employees happier. Benefits like a gym membership or an entertainment subscription can be relatively inexpensive, and they improve your employee’s quality of life significantly.
Benefits, in general, play a significant role in your employees’ happiness at work. Benefits can typically be purchased at a bulk discount, saving you money, and helping your employees stretch their paychecks further. If you are looking to find great employees, you have to invest in a base package of benefits. As your benefits grow, though, you get to be pickier about which employees you accept, and the quality of your candidates greatly improves.