Flexibility in the Workplace: The New Normal

Many employers are not offering the flexibility and choices that employees crave. COVID lockdowns gave them time to reflect and, for many, a taste of freedom to make choices they never experienced before.  Have you adapted your benefits to meet their needs?  Here are some benefit areas you might want to consider:

Physical Health

Benefits related to physical health top the list of what employees want.

• They want an employer who cares about their holistic health not just medical, dental, and vision.

• They like benefits that meet them in their stage of life.  That means giving options such as Flexible Spending Accounts and telemedicine.

• One in four workers rated mental health as their top concern and workers under the age of 35 rank it as their top concern

Work/Life Balance

• Paid time off

• Parental leave

• Caregiving assistance for elders and children

• Flexible hours

• Flexible work location

The pandemic created a period of massive upheaval for employees, but it also provided time for introspection, allowing them to focus on their priorities and make major career changes that aligned their work with personal priorities.

For some employees, that meant leaving their jobs. For employers, it means identifying the areas where they were failing to meet their employees’ needs.  In the war for talent, the right benefits can attract a greater quantity of highly qualified applicants and improve retention. Benefits show we care about employees as people, and they must be diverse to meet the unique needs of every employee.