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In the past ten years work culture has changed exponentially. Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce and all of us are here for benefits and perks that make working easier. Long gone are the days when we will lay down and be kept with our noses to the grindstone but without any reprieve.
People want to be able to live and work not live to work, which means that employers have to be able to do more to ensure that people are happier in their jobs so they stay longer. It’s a candidate-soaked market right now, Which means that candidates are able to pick the jobs they want rather than wait for scraps. Companies are generating more employee assistance programmes than ever before because they know that they need to appeal to the people that are working.
We need to be able to keep younger generations happy as well, and that means looking into what modern-day workers actually want and delivering it.
Employment Perks Your Team Actually Wants
The thing is, no amount of employee benefits, perks, lunches, pizza days, wearing your jeans on Friday, or having a duvet day when you fancy it is actually going to help anyone. What people want is to be paid a wage that they can live on while they are working for a business. Here are some of the perks that people actually want.
Flexibility
One of the weirdest things about life is that the working day is from 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM until 5:00 or 6:00 PM and that’s also the same time the shops are open and the doctors are open and the dentists are open. So nobody can actually get the appointments they need or get their teeth checked because they are busy working. They have to use paid time off or annual leave just to be able to go and ensure that they are healthy.
The remote working buzz is not going to die down, because millennials and younger generations have proven that you don’t need to be sitting in an office to be effective in your role. They want flexibility, and employers need to give it.
Flexible start and end times
If you haven’t heard, the four day work week is so important. It’s 100% of the pay, with 100% of the productivity, but for only 80% of the week. People thrive on this because they know they’re going to get their work done, they’re going to get paid and they have that additional day through the week as an extra weekend day. Flexibility and start times for businesses could be a big deal and it will help you with your employee retention at the same time.
Paid vacation time
This should be a no-brainer for any employer, but if you want to PPO employees you need to make sure that their vacation time is paid. It’s not just about weekends. Allowing your team to take time off helps them to refresh and recharge and it helps to incentivize productivity rather than make people feel burned out.
Actual perks
Lastly, people want actual perks that do make a difference to their working day. Whether that’s wearing casual clothes or choosing whether to come into an office or work at home. It really doesn’t matter; you need to ensure that your employees are happy.
