Fantasy benefits: Do employees really need hangover leave?

The war for talent is tough, there’s no debating that. And offering new and different benefits is a great way to attract talent. But when is enough, enough? When do “out of the box” benefits go too far? Maybe when they’re referred to as “fantasy benefits” and include things like “hangover leave.”

No, we aren’t making this up.

In a recent survey conducted by YouGov for Trusaic, a provider of equal pay compliance software and consulting, 1,230 Americans ages 18 and up responded to “fantasy” job benefits they would like to see offered by employers.

Fantasy perks

Curious what these “fantasy” job perks were that employees dream about? That is, aside from “paid celebration recovery,” … yes, that’s hangover leave … which was desired by 23% of respondents. Here are a few of the most outlandish benefits on the list:

• Breakup leave: Granted, breakups are hard, especially for the person who got rejected. But do employees really need breakup leave? Can’t they just use a mental health day or paid time off? According to the survey, 17% checked off “breakup leave” as a job perk they want employers to start offering.
• Paid hair coloring/tinting/dying (for those over 30): True, getting your hair professionally colored is expensive, but is it benefit-worthy? Thirteen percent of respondents said they want it. For some people, it may improve their self-confidence and, in the long run, mental health. But including it as a mental health benefit may be stretching it a bit.
• Compassionate leave for heartsick sports fans: We get that people are passionate about their sports teams. And losing a big game can be heartbreaking. But for the 9% of respondents who said they want this as a benefit, it may be time to put things in perspective.
• Premium subscription to a dating app of your choice: If companies provide breakup leave, maybe the next step is offering dating app subscriptions. Being connected to people and building relationships help our mental health. But again, when is enough, enough?
• House plant bereavement leave: People develop attachments to things, even inanimate objects. And when it comes down to it, plants grow and have a life. But do we really need time off to mourn them? According to 5% of the respondents, they want time to grieve their plants.  

Are these benefits ridiculous? Yes! But they show that employees are relying more and more on their employers to help them cope with the stressors of work and life which intertwine with each other every day.

And while it’s smart to survey your employees and find out what benefits they truly want, there is a limit.

Differentiate from the competition

Truly offering new and different benefits can help differentiate you from the competition. Offering benefits like pet insurance or “life happens” time off are examples of unique benefits that are worth offering, as opposed to a dating app or house plan bereavement leave.

Our takeaway from this crazy survey is to focus on key benefits like physical health programs, mental health programs, childcare assistance, flexible scheduling/working remotely, pet insurance, flexible PTO, financial wellness and education benefits. They should encompass most of what employees need and want.

Another point of the survey was to give a nod to the fact that pay transparency is also a major selling point for employees in 2022.

In fact, in the HR predictions for 2022, Josh Bersin, global analyst, wrote, “Our latest definitive guides on employee experience and healthy organization discovered that equitable and fair pay is among the greatest drivers of employee satisfaction.”

So, it would appear that there are a lot of other, more beneficial benefits employers need to focus on right now during the Great Resignation than heartsick sports fans leave.