Benefits that employees really want

In today's job market, it's crucial for employers to stand out - not just through competitive salary packages - but by offering meaningful benefits that genuinely enhance an employee's work-life balance and well-being.

So, to help you out, we have delved into what today's workforce values most. We’ve researched the market and identified the 15 top benefits that employees really want— and we’ll give you hint, it’s not free fruit or office pool tables.

We’ve found a growing demand for support across diverse aspects of life, including menopause support, flexible working arrangements, and commuter benefits, among others.

Take a look at some of these benefits you could offer to help attract and retain top talent!

1. Education and professional development opportunities:
   Tuition reimbursement or training programs, to help employees advance their careers.
2. Flexible schedules and work arrangements:
   Compressed work weeks or job sharing, to give employees more control over their work-life balance.
3. Volunteer time off:
   Allows employees to take paid time off to volunteer for a cause or organisation they care about.
4. Pet-friendly policies:
   Allowing pets in the workplace or offering pet insurance, to accommodate employees who have furry friends.
5. Commuter benefits:
   Pre-tax transport subsidies or parking allowances, to help employees save money on commuting expenses.
6. Paid time off for volunteering or community service:
   Support employee involvement in social causes and contribute to the community.
7. Employee referral programs:
   Encourage employees to refer potential new hires to the company and receive a referral bonus.
8. Enhanced parental leave:
   Offering individuals extended paid leave when they become parents either through birth or adoption.
9. Home office budget:
   Offer a specific budget each year to employees to improve the quality of life while working from home.
10. Unlimited paid time off:
    If your culture embraces annual leave, giving people the option to have unlimited days off can be a game changer.
11. Fertility treatment:
    Either financial support or extended time off for medical appointments and treatments.
12. Pension:
    employees plan for the future; don't underestimate the importance of a decent pension, and going beyond the minimum pension contribution goes a long way.
13. Private health insurance:
    Offering employees a private health policy can deliver significant long-term benefits to both your business and your employees.
14. Mental health and wellbeing:
    Could include providing employees with frequent workshops, one-to-one sessions, wellbeing subsidy, or mindfulness app subscriptions.
15. Menopause support:
    Training and education for everyone to learn how the menopause affects women and support those suffering with time off / support as needed depending on the individual’s experience.

By taking these steps towards creating a comprehensive benefit packages for employees, businesses will show existing employee and potential hires just how much they value them, increasing overall job satisfaction.  As competition for talent continues intensify across all industries, having strong incentives in place could make all difference in attracting talented professionals to join your team.

And if you do take a step towards introducing these benefits into your employee benefits package, make sure you regularly check in with employees and evaluate your benefits offerings making any adjustments needed based on employee feedback and changing requirements in the workforce.

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Our consultants keep up to date with insights and trends across their specialisms. They use this insight to help fill vacancies quickly.  Their market knowledge helps to guide clients and manage expectations. For more information please contact our teams today.

Our own EVP has won us awards, so if you're interesting in finding out more about working for an award winning business with an industry leading benefits, rewards and remuneration package please take a look at our careers website - The SF Experience.