5 Underrated Employee Benefits For Hybrid Teams
If you haven’t changed your employee benefits in a while, you may need to step your game up. Hybrid work models are not going anywhere – and they require a different approach.
“Employee benefits are critical regardless of work location. At our remote-first organization, we’re increasingly seeing prospective employees asking about the flexibility of our benefits offering (flex hours/days, healthcare/wellbeing spending account, etc.),” says Pema Evaski-McLean, Human Resources Business Partner at Altis Recruitment.
“As workplace models shift and as we spend less time in person, employers need to ensure that their policies and offerings meet their people’s diverse needs. Organizations will need to adjust their benefits to suit a broader range of lifestyles, while also adjusting their approaches to recognition and employee support tools.”
When updating your employee benefits to meet the needs of your hybrid workforce, keep in mind that flexibility is essential. Listen to your people and learn what they value the most, recommends Evaski-McLean. “These days, the more flexibility you can offer to all employees, regardless of work location, the better.”
“Organizations should know that different employees have different needs, and, if possible, they should create options and offer personalized perks,” adds Adrienne Couch, Human Resources Analyst at LLC.services. “For example,a working parent’s needs are different from an employee who is recently entering the workforce. Create options and provide autonomy, where employees are empowered and can decide which benefits work best for them.”
Need inspiration? Here are five underrated employee benefits for hybrid teams.
1. Skill, career and professional development
Don’t underestimate the power of growth and career development as an employee benefit. “Employees don’t want to feel stuck and appreciate growth and development,” says Couch.
Investing in professional development opportunities also builds trust because it shows that you value team members and want to support them in reaching their goals. And trust is at the core of a strong, healthy culture where people thrive and are engaged. Plus, your team will only become more impactful with a continuously evolving pool of skills.
2. Workstation amenities
Providing the right tools to work from home is also an appealing perk. “Most employers assume that employees have an office ready when they work from home. Employees are more productive when they work with the best equipment, which fuels their motivation and effectiveness,” according to Couch. “Employers can help support their employees by providing them with workstation resources or reimbursing those working with their personal home office setup.”
3. All-around health perks
“Regardless of where employees get their best work done—whether onsite, hybrid or remote—everyone’s health and wellness is of equal priority, and employee benefits need to reflect that,” says Evaski-McLean.
She recommends flexible healthcare/wellbeing spending accounts to cater to various needs: “By enabling employees to choose the health services they need or want, employers acknowledge the diversity of experiences, needs and histories that we all have.”
Don’t forget to offer health and fitness benefits and include access to mental health support, says Couch, as those perks help support a healthy lifestyle and tend to be much appreciated.
4. Flex hours/days
Flex hours are not always implied in hybrid work models – some companies want workers to be online during the same hours – but it’s one of the most powerful benefits you can offer your hybrid team.
“We all have unique demands in our lives, and by recognizing and accommodating them, employers invite their team members to show up authentically, which translates to higher retention and engagement,” according to Evaski-McLean.
“At my organization, we’re evolving past the notion that our team members need to come into an office from 9 to 5 to be productive and learning that by encouraging team members to work where and when they feel most productive, we’re not losing anything in terms of productivity—in fact, we’re gaining employee trust and engagement.”
5. Additional paid time off
From offering extra paid time off for different religious holidays to supporting employees who want to take time off for big life events, Evaski-McLean says that additional paid time off matters from a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standpoint alone.
“We want to acknowledge the different ways our team members celebrate, connect, honor, grieve and observe and have adjusted our paid time off offering to offer as much flexibility as possible. Our people seek equity, acknowledgment and freedom of choice, not assimilation, and our time off policy reflects this,” she says.
