Great Work Perks Keep Employee Retention Top of Mind
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we’re all spending more time—not less, as some assume—at work. That’s right, a recent survey found that we’re currently spending nearly an extra 1½ hours at work compared to February 2020. Do the math and that adds up to about 7 extra hours each week.
Getting back to the usual workweek pre-pandemic is, of course, ideal. And at OVR we’re proponents of a balanced workweek, particularly for employee wellness. But also, your employees are spending more hours at work, now is the time to implement tactics that can help you keep those employees by improving your company offerings.
Focusing on employee retention is important, according to SHRM, because:
- Turnover is costly.
- Unwanted, and unexpected, turnover affects the performance of an organization.
- As skilled employee availability continues to decrease, it will be increasingly difficult to retain employees.
What Makes Employees Stay
Generally, people stay with organizations when the pay, working conditions, developmental opportunities are equal to—or greater than—the time and effort (and other) contributions required by them.
Employee perks are albeit just one component of what should be a multi-pronged strategy but do play a real role in employee retention. So with that said, here are 5 perks to consider to help retain employees.
Related: Out-of-the-Box, Creative Benefit That Makes Employees Happier
5 Great Work Perks to Keep Employees
Whether you refer to them as employee benefits or employee perks, there’s surely one thing we can all agree on: we are tired of the same old, same old. Also, there’s a growing focus on the whole employee—e.g., physical and mental health. These great work perks speak to that movement, and also buck the same old trends.
- Make employees feel appreciated
Perks should make people feel both appreciated and happy—and there are many ways to do this. According to Forbes, you can make your employees feel appreciated by building a budget for your employees to order their favorite takeout. Or, send gifts to their homes and maybe surprise them with wellness-focused swag. Another reason to lean into this tactic is that it works for both in-office and remote employees.
- Prioritize well-being
The threat of burnout is real—no one is denying that anymore. And prioritizing physical and mental health is key. Leaders can support employee well-being by offering meditation apps or classes, half-day Fridays, in-person or virtual exercise classes. That said, the best way to get employees involved and to take advantage of these is to lead by example: managers need to participate for their teams to participate.
- Be compassionate
Did your employees hate those nap rooms? Or even if they loved it, what your nap room initiative showed them was you are compassionate towards humans. Now, let’s take a 2.0 approach to that compassion: what programs can you offer your team(s) that say you’re compassionate? Think: meditation or mindfulness classes, virtual reality technology, etc.
- Leave them alone
It might sound absurd, but leaving your employees alone is one of the easiest work perks you can offer, says Forbes. But what exactly does that mean, and what do you do? A few examples include:
- Don’t message or email them after 6pm, and infuse this throughout your staffing structure.
- Offer flexible, nonlinear workdays so employees can have fluid hours.
- Encourage time off—not because it’s the policy—but because they need it.
- Ask and personalize
The best way to find out what will help you retain your employees is to just ask. Yes, it’s that simple. Keep in mind that it might not be the same for most of your employees. For instance, some employees may need flexibility with hours, some want gifts, others love the idea of meditation rooms, and then there’s the sub-set who still just want professional development. Point being—ask, listen when they share, and personalize what you provide.
