May 2021

You might think that offering more pay is the only way to really keep employees engaged with their work. And, yes, it’s true that everyone wants — and needs — to be fairly compensated for their work. But you only need so much money. At a certain point, perks and benefits become more important than salary. And we’re not just talking about health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans, here — you should be offering those things anyway, especially if you want to attract good candidates. To draw in more of the real talent and keep your existing employees loyal to the company, try offering some of these coveted perks. 1) Flex Time Everyone’s busy, especially these days. Employees might have kids going back and forth from online to in-person school. They might be isolating after COVID exposure or recovering from a bout of the illness. They might be getting vaccinated. And, of course, there are all the usual things that have been disrupting workdays since time began — sick kids, flat tires, bad weather, and poor mental …

Coffee, pen and notes write reshuffle. Is there a big department reshuffle on the horizon? As a leader, you may have become blasé about corporate restructuring, especially if you’re a survivor of numerous downsizing/outsourcing/right-sizing battles. Trust me on this one when I say: You may be feeling chill (or resigned) about the latest company reorg, but the employees who report to you most decidedly are not. There’s an old adage that says “people resist change.” And while there are many reasons people may be change-resistant, one of the primary elements has to do less with the change and more with the disruption that people know is coming. Even when an announced change is welcome (“Finally, it’s about time!”) there is still that period of uncertainty and lack of clarity about “who does what.” The more clearly and quickly a leader addresses employee questions, the more chance of a successful department reorganization. There’s a Sequence to What Employees Want to Know If your department is in any way affected by your company’s reorganization, there are several things that your …

Employers often underestimate the impact that offering a comprehensive benefits package can have on attracting and retaining employees. According to a Glassdoor employment confidence survey, 4 in 5 employees would prefer benefits and perks to an increase in pay. As a human resources (HR) manager, you have the often challenging responsibility of providing employees with a positive culture and valuable benefits at a cost that is reasonable for your employer to take on. Here are 13 of the top work benefits and perks that employees want from their employers. 1. Medical Insurance For many employees, medical insurance is the most important benefit an employer can offer. Of course, medical insurance is not a particularly rare benefit to be offered, but medical insurance packages vary greatly from one business to the next. Ideally, employees want their employers to offer employer-sponsored group insurance plans. The better the coverage and the more money the employer is willing to pay towards the employee’s premium, the greater the perceived benefit is for employees. 2. Disability Insurance An insurance package that is often overlooked by …