By Sara Sosnowski, courtesy SBAM Approved Partner ASE
It is no secret that happy employees lead to the success of an organization. However, what seems like it can be a secret is how to keep employees happy and satisfied so that they enjoy coming to work and are productive. In order to attract and retain talent, employers need to continually be evaluating their benefit offerings and introducing new benefits that today’s employees value.
Clarity Benefit Solutions recently released a list of the top five high value benefits to consider offering to employees:
A focus on family: Employers should have benefits that assist employees in caring for their families. Having a dependent care plan can help pay for expenses like childcare and even adult day care. Different types of FSAs can allow employees to set aside money for health-related costs and can ease the burden of caring for their family.
Working remotely: There is a growing trend of allowing employees to telecommute. To expand upon this benefit, employers should consider allowing employees to work from anywhere, even when they are in the office. Letting employees choose their own space will allow them to be the most comfortable and get their creative juices flowing. One additional bonus would be to let employees set their own hours.
Quality coffee and free food: It has become a punchline for many millennial jokes that they only want ping pong tables and free snacks. But millennials aren’t the only ones who would appreciate and benefit from free food in the office. This could be offered in the way of free beverages and snacks in the break room or even having free meals once a week. This saves your employees time and money when they forget to pack a lunch or get hungry in the middle of a big project.
Workplace wellness initiatives: Employees are becoming more and more conscious of their own health and well-being, and it is time for employers to as well. Offering yoga/fitness classes or health screenings on site, paying for gym memberships, or helping with counseling services are all wellness initiatives that employees could benefit from.
An abundance of PTO: Some employers have started offering unlimited PTO, but there are more ways to give employees a little more time away from work. You can give employees a day off on their birthday or extra days off between Christmas and the New Year. Additionally, during the summer letting employees participate in some kind of summer hours program is another worthwhile benefit to consider.