7 Innovative Benefits Companies Are Offering to Attract and Retain Employees
If you’ve been in the workforce for long, you know many companies offer traditional benefits like health care and retirement accounts to their employees. Recently, innovative companies like Google have looked beyond tradition to increase the well-being of their workers and attract a superior workforce. From yoga classes to a chance to obtain a new degree, here are seven innovative benefits you can find in the workplace today.
- Extra Entertainment
Some businesses are focusing on keeping their employees entertained when they aren’t at work so they come back refreshed and relaxed. With options like free cable, internet, and discounted theme park tickets, employees and their families are escaping boredom and making memories together.
- Walking Meetings
This is a benefit that costs nothing to implement but offers excellent health advantages. Companies like LinkedIn are taking their meetings outdoors and getting things done while getting some steps in. Research shows that walking outside increases creative thinking, so this is a win-win situation for companies and employees.
- Meditation Stations
Mindfulness can improve depression and stress and can even lengthen your attention span. Most self-help books you come across today mention some form of meditation or mindfulness, further proving its myriad benefits. Companies know this and are creating comfortable spaces within their offices for employees to go and recenter.
- Education Opportunities
Many businesses today are offering education opportunities for their workers. From guitar lessons to online degree programs, employees and, in some cases, their families can attain their training goals at no extra cost. By obtaining a degree in information technology, for example, employees can apply skills like programming and data analysis to their future work.
- Mental Health Support
Mental health is just as important as physical health, and many companies are starting to incorporate mental health care into their work culture. From useful apps to mental health coverage and telehealth counseling, there are a variety of ways mental health is becoming a focus in offices around the world.
- Parental Leave
Short parental leave is becoming a thing of the past, with companies like Amex offering parental leave for up to 20 weeks to all of its employees. Other creative benefits for parents include shipping breast milk to traveling mothers and access to lactation consultants. Extended paid parental leave is becoming more common, offering parents and potential parents a sigh of relief as they begin their next chapter.
- Date Nights
Another benefit that specifically benefits parents is a parents’ night out, paid for by the employer. Veteran’s United offers the chance to get out of the house free of charge once every three weeks and even offers suggested babysitters so parents can enjoy themselves without stress.
The traditional benefits that companies offer help tremendously with expenses and assist with shouldering the burden of healthcare costs and retirement savings. Companies know, however, that great employees are seeking a workplace with a unique culture. When companies go the extra mile to provide their workforce with distinctive bonuses, they are showing how much they value their workers. Whether a prospective employee needs a parent-friendly environment or the comfort of knowing their bosses value mental health, there are opportunities for them to find what they are looking for. Stuffy work culture is a thing of the past, and innovative solutions are becoming the new normal.
For people looking for work in the NJ area, New Jersey Job Market is an essential tool to find an incredible job. Start exploring the site today to see what’s available.
Image via Pexels
