Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a place where employers ruled the land with no-frills, traditional benefits packages, and their employees were content with that. In fact, many employees worked for the same employer for many years with no desire to explore other job opportunities and discover greener pastures.
Today’s story has a new twist.
Employees, especially millennials, are likely to switch jobs several times throughout their careers. There is no available data from the Department of Labor stating how often people change jobs, but the general consensus is most employees will have 7 jobs in his or her lifetime.
So what are today’s employers doing to attract top talent and keep employee job hopping to a minimum?
Many are turning to nontraditional employee benefits for the answer.
Promoting the Work-Life Balance
Nontraditional employee benefits are a win-win for employers and employees. Many of the newer benefits being offered today help employees maintain that ever-important work-life balance.
Some larger, more progressive employers are dishing out unique, big-ticket benefits –
Google offers its employees free food at its cafeterias. Facebook offers onsite healthcare services. And just a few months ago, Facebook and Apple announced they are adding egg freezing to their 2015 benefits, for those female employees who choose to delay childbearing.
The good news is you don’t have to be like Google or Apple and invest big bucks for nontraditional employee benefits.
Many can be implemented at a low cost with a big payback.
Some nontraditional employee benefits that have gained popularity in recent years include:
- Pet-friendly offices
- Quarterly field trips
- Concierge services for auto, dry cleaning or banking
- Flextime and work-from-home options
- Paid Time Off for community service & volunteering
- Extended leave policies & sabbatical opportunities
- Financial wellness programs and legal counsel services
What to Offer
If your organization is ready to offer some nontraditional employee benefits, remember to align them with your company culture and the types of employees that you’re trying to attract. Don’t embrace the latest trend if it’s not a good fit for your environment.
A.R. Mazzotta offers many employee benefits – traditional and nontraditional – to keep our agency competitive and our workforce happy. A few include flexible Paid Time Off, free training and support services for qualified employees, and American Automobile Association (AAA) memberships.
Learn more about our employee benefits, and visit our Job Postings if you’re looking to make a career move in 2015.