Employees are a business’s most important asset. Keeping them happy and making them feel appreciated eliminates high turnover. Show your appreciation with some unique ways to go above and beyond for your employees. You may consider offering your employees the benefits and remain stress-free on how to manage it with the help of Benefits administration Software. It is easy to handle and cost-effective method of managing Employee benefits.
Altruism Hours
You may have very altruistic employees who would love to give something back, but with day-to-day life, they just don’t have time. Salesforce, a cloud-based software company, encourages its employees to volunteer by providing them with six paid days off work each year specifically to use for volunteering. Each year, the company also donates $1,000 to a cause of each employee’s choice. Whether working at the animal shelter or a nursing home or cleaning up litter, everyone feels good giving something back to their community. The days off work to do this will make it even better to break up some of the “same old same old” of a typical work week. Currently, approximately 25% of companies work towards incorporating altruism into their company culture with paid time off to volunteer.
Work Flexibility
You can address potential employee burnout — one of the leading causes of turnover — by allowing them to have flexible work alternatives. These days, women and men alike are trying to juggle the daily routines of their work and home lives, including caring for not only kids but possibly elderly parents, as well. Allowing flexible work hours and/or your employees to telecommute, even just one day a week can make a big impact. Because there’s so much variance in your employees’ lives outside of work, and because their times of peak productivity differ, a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer the best use of your personnel. Where one employee may be more productive arriving at 7 am, another may perform best by coming in later. One employee may do their best work in a chaotic office environment, while another may find that atmosphere too distracting to be their most productive.
Educational Opportunities
Some employees want to get more education but can’t afford it or feel that they have no time to invest in it. Paying to further employees’ education or contributing money towards it can benefit your employees and your business. Tuition reimbursement is also tax-deductible. These days, you can take work at your own pace online college courses if traditional on-campus schedules won’t work.
Healthy Choices
Currently, most businesses of at least 50 employees offer some form of a wellness program. Long-term, these programs have proven to pay off in several ways. When employees are healthy they take less sick days, have more productivity and health care costs are lower for everyone involved. If your company can’t create a formal plan it can be pretty simple to put something in place. Discounts can be given to local gyms, pay bonuses or give other perks to employees who walk or bike to work, or just create a lunchtime walking group. Fitness challenges are also a great way to encourage employees to get healthier. Standing desks are another good way to keep your employees on their feet and motivated to move as they’re working. Many can be converted to regular desks when needed.
Meal Prep Assistance
Anyone who’s had a full-time job knows the feeling of being too tired to cook after a long day at work. Many won’t eat healthy since it’s easier to just pick up takeout or microwave a quick frozen dinner. Meal prep services offered by some local restaurants, as well as online, provide a way to eat healthy while requiring very little time to prepare the dish. These services and associated discounts are especially helpful for employees with families.
Pawternity Leave
Interestingly enough, to promote rescue pet adoption, a few companies now offer pawternity leave for new pet owners. This way, newly rescued dogs and cats don’t have to be alone while they’re getting used to their new home. It also allows their owners to spend quality time getting to know and train them.
Relaxation Spaces
A few companies have relaxation rooms where employees who need a little break can sit in a massage chair, enjoy scented candles or even take a power nap in a nap pod. These perks are especially great for high-stress jobs or ones that require you to be on your feet for long periods. Both physical and mental health are positively influenced by using these break rooms to reduce employee anxiety and burnout while increasing productivity and overall happiness.
It may require your company to invest a bit more of the overall budget to give employees some extra perks. However, the extra expense will pay off in the long run in the way of happier, healthier, more productive employees, which also means less turnover in your business.
