Your employees are the driving force of your company, ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly and your customers are happy. Obviously, it’s important that you keep your team satisfied and motivated. While traditional benefits like dental are a big boon, today’s employees have higher expectations when it comes to benefits in the workplace. Read on for tips on innovative benefits your workers will truly appreciate.
Flexible working arrangements
Employees are increasingly demanding flexible working arrangements in terms of hours and location. COVID-19 spurred this trend, as many people got used to working remotely and setting their own hours. Even if you can’t offer your workers full-time remote work, you might allow them to spend one day per week working from home. Giving your team’s agency over when and where they work can also result in greater productivity, benefitting your business.
Commuter assistance
Some employees can’t work from home—for example, because they work in a customer service field requiring face-to-face interaction. In this case, look for ways to make your workers’ lives easier. Commuting is one issue you can pinpoint. HR Daily Advisor provides examples of commuter benefits you might provide, such as bus passes, reimbursed parking, and vanpooling. You can also provide after-tax benefits, like a company car.
Health and wellness programs
Healthy employees are an asset to your business, as they will require less sick leave. Investing in your team’s health is thus a savvy move—and employees will appreciate being able to forego personal costs like a gym membership. Copper Quail Consulting helps to increase vitality in the workplace through HR wellness offerings like yoga classes. They can work with you to develop a program that fits your business needs.
Mental health support
Good health isn’t just about physical wellbeing. Show your commitment to your team’s emotional wellbeing by investing in mental health benefits. For example, you might include mental health coverage in your company health care plan. You can also make a difference by proactively communicating about mental health topics, like how to reduce workplace stress, thereby removing the stigma around the issue.
Professional coaching opportunities
Provide your employees with the tools they need to grow by offering professional coaching. This will leave you with more skilled, educated workers. Plus, it shows that you’re committed to each individual’s personal success. TalentGuard highlights the advantages of career coaching, as it can increase employee productivity, help retain workers, and generally enhance employee performance.
Further education opportunities
You can further demonstrate your commitment to your workers’ long-term success by providing further education opportunities. They will get the skills they need to progress personally and can also apply their knowledge to their work life, benefitting your business. Online programs like the business degrees offered by Western Governors University are a great choice because they allow people to study at their own pace alongside their jobs.
Child care support
If you have employees with kids, child care is sure to be a much appreciated benefit. This can alleviate stress for parents and give them greater flexibility. There are many ways you can provide child care support, from setting up an in-house daycare at your office to providing cash benefits for child care purposes. The right approach will depend on personal factors like how large your business is and how many workers have kids.
Benefits like these can help keep your workers happy and motivated on the job. You’ll reap the rewards of more productive teams as a result, making the investment in employee benefits well worth it.
Want more actionable tips on fostering a happy workplace and thriving team? Pay a visit to the Copper Quail Consulting blog.
