Today's workplace is busier and more complex than ever before and competition can be ferocious. Whatever type of business you're in, your people are your biggest asset and you can be assured that if you don't look after them, your competitors will! It's not so long ago that an employer's only responsibility toward their staff was to pay their wages and give them a safe place to work from. These days, things are very different and staff retention is a huge headache for a great many companies.
Keeping hold of your talent involves a number of factors including the creation of a fantastic work culture, and in this article we're looking at seven great ways to motivate staff using workplace employee benefits.
1. Driving Motivation
A significant number of employees state that the use of a company car is top of their list when it comes to workplace benefits. There are a few reasons for this including:
- Cost - Buying and maintaining a vehicle is an expensive business these days and one that many people can ill afford
- Convenience - With a company car, a lot of the maintenance is taken care of for the employee
- Peace of mind - In the unfortunate event of a traffic incident, there won't be the hassle of finding a car accident lawyer and dealing with a whole load of red tape
Maintaining a fleet of company cars is also great for businesses who will usually enjoy tax deductions on purchases, insurance and fuel.
For non-driving employees, financial support with transportation is always considered a valuable benefit and this can include annual pass loans and subsidies for use on local transport.
2. Investing In Health
Helping staff to take care of their physical and mental well-being has
never been more important. In a stressful world, burnout is very much a thing and one that can be devastating to individuals. Because of this, well-being related benefits are extremely popular and these can include:
- Cycle- to-work schemes
- Vouchers for health and leisure activities
- Flexible working, including remote or hybrid working models
- Duvet days
- Free or subsidized private healthcare
- Free or subsidized gym memberships
When employees feel valued and supported, they're much more likely to feel invested in the company, bringing staff turnover down considerably.
3. Working Is Not Child's Play!
It's a sad fact that many businesses are missing out on top talent simply because of the cost of childcare. In many instances, people choose not to work simply because this cost is so prohibitive. By
offering an on-site creche or assistance toward nursery or child-minder fees, your company can promote a happier workplace as well as gaining access to talented employees.
4. …..And The Award Goes To …
Nobody enjoys working hard and for long hours without receiving some form of acknowledgement. While the odd ‘Great job!' is appreciated, it's not quite enough. A lot of businesses make the decision to instigate employee recognition schemes where hard work is rewarded either monetarily or with gifts such as vouchers and products. As well as making staff feel more valued, these schemes increase productivity and quality as people will strive toward receiving one of these awards. This is also a sneaky way of introducing some healthy competition into your workplace!
5. Getting Social
Team-building has come a long way since those excruciatingly awkward bonding sessions - but is still just as important. A successful team is one that works together like a well-oiled machine and implementing social events into the workplace can really help here. Such events might include:
- Scheduled coffee breaks or lunches
- Day trips
- Social evenings
- Empowerment weekends
Not only are these activities enjoyable but they can also help to better include employees who may struggle with pushing themselves forward and effectively inserting themselves into the team.
6. Training And Development
As a business, you probably already provide job-specific training to your employees but this can be taken further. Personal development training can be just as important for anyone's forward momentum and will also serve the company well. By offering training in life skills such as assertiveness, time-management and relationship building, you can create a well-rounded workforce powered by both hard and soft skills. Many courses are now available online meaning that staff development doesn't have to mean chunks of time spent out of the office.
7. Food For Thought
If your workplace still has little more than a water cooler and free tea and coffee, you may be falling behind in the benefits race. These days, lots of companies recognize the importance of fueling their workforce and many employees place real value on benefits such as:
- Free fruit
- Free or subsidized lunches
- Free soft drinks
- Free snacks
While this type of benefit does involve a financial outlay, it has a number of benefits including a happier workforce - and one which is likely to spend more time in the office thereby increasing productivity.
Perks attract people - it's that simple!
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Think About It!
In the modern world, nurturing employees is super-important - and benefits need to be so much more than a boilerplate bonus and 25 days off a year. We really are living in an employee's market and candidates are becoming more demanding and choosy than ever when it comes to staff perks. For this reason, businesses need to focus on what they can offer employees in terms of benefits – and use these packages as a tool to attract the top talent available.
