5 company benefits that employees actually want

Company benefits can be an effective way of keeping customers happy, motivated and loyal. Unfortunately, many companies fail to understand what it is that their employees really want. While putting bean bags and table tennis in your office might seem like a cool idea, few people are really motivated by this type of stuff. Meanwhile, inviting the whole team away for an annual boozy vacation might be some people’s idea of hell.

So just what are some of the company benefits that employees actually want? Quite often, it’s the type of incentives that aim to improve people’s quality of life outside of work as well as inside. Below are five effective examples.

Health insurance

Offering health insurance to all of your employees makes a lot of sense. Your employees are your most valuable tools – providing health insurance can stop you from losing employees to sickness and injury by giving them the ability to seek out medical care where and when they need it. Your employees are meanwhile likely to feel a sense of security knowing that they can seek out treatment without having to pay the majority of the cost. If you don’t already offer this benefit, consider looking into small business health insurance schemes. Shop around to find the best rates and the best coverage.

Paid time off

All of us need time off now and again – either to recover from sickness, travel to new places or simply recharge our batteries. Offering a certain amount of paid time off to employees can allow employees to take a break when they need it without worrying about whether they can afford it. Most employees will cherish the fact that they can take time off. Promoting the idea of taking breaks throughout the year could also improve the productivity of your employees.

Flexible working hours

Not all jobs have to be worked during set hours. So long as work is done to a good quality and so long as deadlines are met, it doesn’t really matter how many hours an employee puts in. Many companies have started introducing flexible working hours for this reason. Such flexibility could be appreciated by employees, allowing them to work around other commitments and enjoy a better work-life balance.

Option to work from home

There are some jobs that cannot be worked from home. However, many computer-based or phone-based jobs can be. The option to work from home could reduce time spent commuting and allow employees to spend more time with family. When enabling your employees to work from home make sure that they have the right tools to communicate and access information – this could include working from the cloud and adopting instant messaging or video call technology.

Employee discounts

You could consider partnering up with local services to offer discounts. This could include discounted gym memberships, discounted meals at local restaurants or discounted cinema tickets. Such discounts can encourage your employees to make fun and productive use of their free time. Of course, you can also offer discounts on your own services – for example, if you own a restaurant, you could offer 50% off food to all employees.

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