The Most Desirable Employee Benefits To Include In Your 2022 HR Plan | #hrmanagement #hrexecutive

Do you want to hire new talent quickly and efficiently? If so, it is recommended that you present potential applicants with an incredible employee benefits package. It might not seem like it, but the pay is not everything when it comes to a hard-to-refuse job offer. For instance, it is likely that an employee, when faced with a choice, will be interested in joining a company with great health and dental insurance instead of a company that offers a horrendous one or none at all.

What benefits are considered to be desirable by job applicants, aside from great health, dental, and vision insurance? In 2021, job applicants are looking for jobs with flexible hours, plenty of vacation time, and work-from-home options, as well as student loan and tuition assistance and paid maternity/paternity leave. Are you interested in the topic? If so, keep reading! Below, you will find a list of desirable employee benefits that will help you to find and hire top talent with ease!

Student Loan Assistance

A significant number of job applicants are looking for jobs that offer student loan assistance. This number has been rising for years, and many companies, such as Walmart, Target, Home Depot, or Starbucks have programs that cover the costs of their employees’ college tuition. Therefore, you should look for ways in which you could help your employees to pay off student loans. If you manage to do that, you will definitely be able to hire top talent quickly.

Additionally, if you have employees who are burdened by student loan debt, you should offer them a student loan assistance benefit. This could take the form of an employee loan forgiveness program or an employer-backed student loan repayment plan. Most people work to achieve financial stability, and they shouldn’t need to look for additional jobs, learn how to navigate an inheritance buyout, or worse, take out additional loans just to pay their monthly payments and barely afford rent. If they see that an employee pays attention to their financial situation, and they aren’t just a cog in the machine, they will be more loyal, and by extension, also more productive.

​​Flexible Hours

According to a recent survey conducted by Deloitte, 94% of Americans would like to have more flexible work arrangements. The desire for this kind of job benefit is much greater among millennials and women. Considering that the majority of the population has no problem condensing their work hours, it will be wise for you to provide your employees with a flexible schedule.

Flexible schedules are beneficial for both the employer and the employee. Employees are able to get more done on a daily basis if they are in control of when they start their workday and when they finish their workday. On the other hand, employers can see an increase in productivity as employees do not feel rushed or pressured to finish their daily workload before the end of the day.

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Paid Maternity Leave and Paid Paternity Leave

Many job applicants are interested in jobs that offer paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave. After all, quite a few people consider having children to be one of the most important things in life. Having to take care of a newborn child and being forced to look for an additional source of income is not something that potential employees want to deal with. If your company provides paid maternity and paternity leave, it will be much easier to hire great talent.

Work-from-Home

Similarly, the number of people working from home has been steadily rising throughout the years, but the advent of the pandemic has changed the situation in the most dramatic of ways. Currently, about one-fourth of all US employees work remotely, and it’s not surprising that job positions that don’t require coming to office are attractive to job seekers.

However, even if you aren’t entirely convinced that remote work allows for a similar manner of bonds between employees to develop, which could hurt your company in the long run, you could consider offering employees the opportunity to work from home for three days per week.

Meal Benefits

It is a well-known fact that the quality of the food we eat has an effect on our health, but also our mood or productivity. That’s why most companies offer employees a variety of benefits that will allow them to eat healthily while at work.

The majority of job applicants are interested in companies that offer free meals and snacks, as well as healthy foods and beverages that suit a wide range of palates. If you want to keep your employees healthy and happy, it’s worth investing in this kind of employee benefit!

Employee Recognition Programs

Many job applicants are interested in jobs that offer employee recognition programs. If you are looking for ways in which you could show your appreciation for productive employees, you should definitely think about implementing an employee recognition program. For example, you could give an employee of the month award and a large bonus to the most productive employee. Doing that is a great way to motivate your employees and get the results that you need to make your business succeed.

On-Site Childcare

This is another benefit that you should consider offering to your employees. On-site childcare facilities make it possible for parents to have a job and care for their kids at the same time. In fact, this is the only way for single parents to hold down a job with a decent salary. If you decide to establish an on-site childcare facility, be sure to teach your staff how to deal with children in their care, which is an extremely important safety requirement.

In Conclusion

To sum up, if you want to hire talented professionals, it is recommended that you think about presenting your employees with the most desirable employee benefits on the job market. For example, you could offer flexible hours, paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave, and student loan assistance, as well as tuition assistance and student loan assistance. In addition, you should consider launching an employee recognition program.

All of the benefits listed here are very important to job applicants and can do wonders for the morale and productivity of your team. Some might be costly to implement, but it is definitely worth the hassle!