As we round off the year and budgets are finalised, we’re digging through the results of our Benefits Outlook Survey to explore the most in-demand company benefits for 2022. If one thing’s for sure, it’s that sprinkling some of these into your offering will keep your employees inspired, delighted and motivated - and maybe attract some new hires, too!
For every trending benefit, we made sure to include some ideas of how you could offer it. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with getting inspired (aka totally stealing) these ideas to build your team’s dream benefits package…
1. Flexible wellbeing budgets
From much-needed massages and spa days to a Headspace subscription, wellbeing means totally different things to different people. And with 30% of companies we surveyed looking to increase their benefits budgets in 2022, staying on top of the competition means offering flexible budgets that work around the needs of your whole team – after all, nobody knows themselves better than they do.
How can you start offering it?
Set an allowance for employees that can only be spent on wellbeing. This encourages people to actually spend on things that make them feel good, happy and healthy.
As an extra touch, think about recommending options to the team that help them bring their whole selves to work, great examples include, Calm or Headspace and healthy snack subscriptions such as Graze and Hello Fresh.
At Chattermill, team members are assigned a monthly wellness budget that increases by £25 every year you stay at the company. Supporting wellbeing and rewarding loyalty all in one, brilliant! Read how they did it here.
2. Remote social activities
Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, as the days of tedious Zoom quizzes are long behind us. No, really. Now, there are countless options for teams to enjoy bonding virtually - you just have to get creative! Of course, putting a regular team lunch in the calendar is always a winner…
How can you start offering it?
Team lunches can be the highlight of the week – especially if you could let them order from their favourite place. You may not be able to physically eat out together, but what if you provide a budget for people to get their own food, and all sit down together remotely to enjoy it and chat.
To up your game, team social site www.remotesocial.io has options to suit just about everyone, Among Us is also a fun alternative. You can easily include these games into your weekly meetings - perfect for a Friday wind down. Think about surveying your team to check what they’d engage with the most; this shouldn’t feel like forced fun!
3. Mental health support
Looking out for your team’s mental health is critical - and sends a powerful signal that they don’t have to struggle in silence. By giving them access to a range of best-in-class tools, you can empower your team to keep themselves happy and healthy, in and out of the office.
How can you start offering it?
It’s time to go beyond platitudes and a basic health policy. Make sure you have clear mental health guidance in place, and make support available to everyone.
Perhaps you could go a step further and follow in the footsteps of Oliva. Their incredible mental health day went viral on linkedin for being, well, awesome! They gave every employee a day off and €1000 (yes, 1000!) to spend on something that they felt would benefit their mental wellbeing.
You could also take a leaf out of Maze’s book - they provide unlimited access to mental health care to all team members, wherever they are in the world.
These big budgets can be intimidating, but don’t let them deter you. A scaled down version of either could still have a massive impact. For example, who wouldn’t love an afternoon off with £50 for an activity?
4. Cover the costs of working from home
The best offices have comfortable ergonomic chairs and adjustable desks - the workspace is the foundation of a productive day. So why not bring this home for your team, too? With a working from home allowance for the whole team, they can invest in what makes sense for them - whether that’s the wireless keyboard they’ve had their eyes on, a WiFi booster or a sign that says “remember to unmute your microphone before you start talking”.
How can you start offering it?
Hotjar have long been leaders in the world of remote work. Every team member gets €4000 to set up their dream workspace, anywhere they’d like. The emphasis here is on the importance of creating a distinction between your ‘office space’ and the rest of your home. Having that boundary makes it easier to switch off and more difficult for work to spill into personal life.
A WFH budget goes without saying, but it’s also important to consider that some of your team may not have access to a quiet, comfortable space for working – consider if your team would benefit from a flexible membership to a local co-working space such as WeWork, Fora or Uncommon. It’s all about finding out what's right for them!
5. Flexible hybrid working
Now that we’ve learned the many virtues of home-working, it’s likely that many of your team will want the best of both worlds, so give it to them! Allow flexible hours to accommodate for the school run and different time zones.
How can you start offering it?
Consider switching from “We offer options to work from home” to “We're fully remote, with the option to come in”. The key here is in clear communication. For many, the in-person collaboration can be crucial, so you’ll be surprised at how many people show up, and for others, they’ll simply be better off working from their home environment – who said you can’t have it all?
Are you ready for 2022?
We usually try to avoid plugging our own product as we feel that it distracts from our ambition to create truly valuable content. However, in this case, benefits really are our forte. If you’d like to learn how Ben could help deliver some of the initiatives mentioned above, you can book some time to speak to one of our benefits experts here. If not, we hope this article helped spark a few ideas on what to do with and make the most of your benefits budget for 2022.