As a dedicated Human Resources professional, it’s your job to create a positive work environment and ensure that employees have access to essential resources like benefits. Regardless of a business’s size or industry, benefits play a vital role in employees’ well-being and overall job satisfaction. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Staples, 62% of participants said they would accept a lower salary in exchange for better workplace benefits.
This astounding percentage makes it clear that HR professionals need to take a second look at their employee benefits. You might not think this applies to your company — after all, you already invest so much money in employee benefits. However, just because you’re offering benefits doesn’t mean that your employees are satisfied. Check out the following four reasons why your employees aren’t happy with their current benefits, as well as what you can do about it.
1. You’re Offering Outdated Benefits
If your employees aren’t satisfied with their current benefits, it may be because they’re behind the times. When was the last time that your team reviewed employee benefits and updated options? There’s no doubt that the workplace has changed drastically over the past few years, and so have your employees’ needs. For this reason, reviewing employee benefits should be a regular task that helps you prepare for recurring events like open enrollment.
By taking a closer look at which benefits are serving their intended purpose and which ones are just taking up space, you can improve overall company efficiency. For example, consider swapping a 4-day workweek option for a flexible or remote working option. In the same way, weigh the benefits of replacing paid sick days with paid personal days. Not only will modifying lackluster benefits options boost employee satisfaction and morale, but it will also help your company save money. At the end of the day, there’s no point in investing in benefits that no one is using.
2. Employees’ Needs Aren’t Being Met
Yet another reason why your employees may not be thrilled with your benefits selection is that their needs aren’t being taken into consideration. There’s no doubt that it can be tempting to offer a few flashy benefits to get candidates’ attention during employee recruiting — who wouldn’t want an annual discount to the nearest water park? However, it’s much more effective to craft your benefits strategy around employees’ concrete needs and desires instead of throwing away money on an unnecessary perk.
Take the time to understand which benefits your team needs the most by sending out surveys, having one-on-one meetings and holding office hours for open discussion. If your employees are all lamenting the lack of dental and vision coverage or the inflexibility of your company’s work hours, take the time to reevaluate your current benefits.
3. Poor Communication
Once you’ve determined which benefits your employees truly want and need, it’s crucial that you utilize clear and concise communication strategies. Take a multifaceted approach to communication. Well before open enrollment, organize seminars, distribute resources, put in face time with employees and send out informative emails about employee benefits. If your employees don’t understand their options, they are much less likely to choose a plan that meets their needs.
Preemptively curb this problem by ensuring that you’ve given employees everything they need to make an informed decision about their benefits. By creating a helpful environment that makes employees feel heard and well-informed, HR professionals can more easily match employees with their ideal benefits package.
4. You’re Not Considering Employees’ Well-Being
In today’s ever-evolving workplace, it’s important to treat employees as holistic individuals, not just salespeople or marketing experts. This means addressing employees’ overarching well-being and health instead of just their medical copay. One way to enhance employees’ well-being is to provide health incentives. For example, if employees meet a series of goals — such as walking 30 minutes per day and getting regular check-ups — you can provide them with financial compensation or other additional perks.
Encouraging your employees to stay healthy is just one way to invest in employees’ overall well-being. By implementing these types of benefits into your company’s offering, you’re likely to see improvements in both employee recruiting and employee retention.
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