Written by: Marjorie McMillian
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Employee benefits are programs or activities that extend beyond your team members' pay. This typically includes health insurance and paid time off at a minimum, as well as retirement matching, dental and vision insurance and life insurance. Perhaps you even offer extra perks like catered lunches and casual Fridays. While all of this is great, in order to attract top talent and to encourage loyalty and hard work from your current staff, it’s crucial to refresh your offerings. Not only will you help increase employee morale, but you’ll become a more competitive employer. It’s a win-win!
Yoga Classes
Yoga provides many physical and mental benefits. In a workplace setting, yoga classes can also encourage coworker bonding in a supportive, relaxed setting.
You won't need too much to get started with this one. A sign-up sheet and some quiet, open space will do. Employees can be encouraged to bring their own yoga mats, or as a bonus, you can provide them (just make sure they're properly sanitized in between uses).
You can put out a call to employees to serve as volunteer instructors, or you can hire a professional corporate yoga instructor who will come to your workplace to lead the sessions.
Free or Discounted Attraction and Event Tickets
Everybody loves to have fun, and it's been proven that happy workers are 13% more productive, on average.
Many local museums and organizations offer special ticketing programs for businesses and corporations. You can also look into arranging tickets for a group outing, such as to a local sports game. You can even invest in season tickets for the Yankees, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox or anywhere else you have a concentration of staff.
This perk shows employees that you care about their well-being and signals you want to encourage a healthy work-life balance. For employees who have relocated to your area, providing free or discounted tickets gives them an incentive to explore their new community.
Tuition Reimbursement
More companies are joining the bandwagon with this. Not only does this provide an opportunity for employee growth, but their degree could benefit the company. For example, if you run a law office and have an administrative assistant or mail person ripe for professional development, helping to pay for a degree in criminal justice paves the way for them to be a more valuable member of your team, whether it’s as a paralegal or an investigator. This doesn’t have to be a super expensive perk either. Especially if you promote online universities. The benefit here is twofold, your staff will have access to an accredited university, and they can easily balance their studies with work thanks to flexible scheduling.
Usually, employers who help pay for tuition require anyone who uses this perk to stay on for at least two years. However, if you have a happy staff, this could encourage an employee to stay longer!
Bring Your Pet to Work Day
Knowing there will be some furry friends around might be a fun way to get employees looking forward to coming into work. As most pet owners can attest, there are many benefits to interacting with an animal. Just be sure to take into account staff allergies, pet temperaments and scheduling conflicts. The last thing you want
Employee Satisfaction Surveys
The best way to find out how your employees feel about work is to ask them. Conducting annual surveys can help you gauge how employees feel about key things like processes, workplace culture, compensation, and benefits. Make sure to leave space for employees to add their own thoughts. As an employer, once you know more about your employees, you can do better with your team members.
The Importance of Benefits
As times change, it's paramount that workplaces provide the benefits employees are looking for. By offering new and outside-the-box benefits, you can attract and retain the best talent.