It can seem like a no-win situation: You work hard to provide the best benefits package your company can possibly afford, and employees still aren’t satisfied.
But there is hope. Things can get better. The experts at Entrepreneur.com have some suggestions:
1. Don’t assume what employees will like — ask them
On-site daycare looks great on paper, but it’s a waste if few employees have kids — or they don’t want to bring their kids to work.
Dig deeper, and look for benefits the majority of your workers can actually use. And when in doubt, ask them — via suggestion boxes, employee surveys, etc.
Even if it’s apparent what employees want, ask them anyway. It helps them to know their needs are being considered.
One great example of a benefit tailored to the needs of a company’s workforce: The field staffers for business and auto insurer ACUITY spend a lot of time driving, so the company provides them with a $75 allowance to purchase books on tape.
2. Help them use their benefits
Offering a lot of paid time off (PTO) is great, unless employees end up soaking it all up on things other than vacation and sick time.
Consider giving employees the ability complete those once-in-a-while tasks (like going to the doctor), that may otherwise require them to take time off, without having to dig into their PTO.
Professional Placement Resources, LLC, lets its employees go to two doctor and two dentist appointments per year without having to use any PTO.
Bonus: This will encourage employees to get regular checkups, which will help keep them healthy and your medical claims down.
3. Help workers choose their options
Connecting with workers face-to-face to help them choose their benefit options has two benefits:
- It shows you’re willing to take the time to make sure all of their needs are covered, and
- It can save your company money by keeping employees from electing expensive benefits they’ll never use.
ACUITY’s HR team sits an employee down to review the company’s plan and recommend options based on the needs of the employee’s family.
4. Release the specifics upon which benefits decisions are based
If your company decides to change its health insurance carrier, let employees know why. If it’s to save money (as is usually the case), share the financial figures with your workers. Plus, there’s usually a few details that are better in the new plan than the old one. So spread the word.
The last thing you want is for employees to feel like they are in the dark when it comes to major decisions that affect their benefits. And at the very least, it’ll make the news easier to swallow for those workers who fear change.
What have you done to boost your employees’ appreciation for their benefits? Share your success stories in the Comments Box below.
