Employee Benefits Guide: Types, Importance & Examples

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A recent SHRM study found that employees’ financial health will be a huge priority for employers in 2024 and beyond. Employees want to be taken care of holistically, especially in a volatile, unpredictable economy such as the one we’re living in. This includes making sure they’re financially safe and stable. 

Each employee is a substantial human investment. Knowledge-based organizations must invest in their people if it is to exist. This investment in people improves and adds value to people. Employee Benefits, although cost the organization heavily, primarily serve to retain employees. They’re programs an employer uses to supplement the cash compensation, which may include social insurance, group insurance, vacation, paid time off, financial support for caring for dependents, etc.

In this article, we’ll take you through employee benefits that are trending and used by organizations across the world, so you can choose the ones you want to include in your current plan and implement them.

Why Are Employee Benefits Important?

Amazing for attracting A-list talent

A combination of direct compensation (pay) and benefits represents total compensation. The best way to attract potential employees is by offering competitive benefits that show them you care about them as a person, and not just a professional. It can also retain solid performers and show them as they grow with the company, they will be adequately taken care of. In a talent crisis, employees expect progressive, compassionate, and competitive benefits, and being upfront about it will help you attract A-list talent. 

That’s why many fast-growing companies have a benefits and rewards sheet that they give to employees during and after the hiring process, to show what they can get should they come to work with them. 

Keep existing employees motivated

For existing employees, benefits over and above salary will be a huge motivating factor, as the employer will take care of crucial expenses for every life stage. It’ll also help employees stay aligned with the organizational goals. If you’re working on building a company from scratch and one of the core team members just became a father, they’d appreciate joining your team if they get childcare benefits and occasional time off to tend to family. You’d get exceptional talent if you go the extra mile and bring in inclusive measures that they need the most. 

Encourages positive behavior

Further, employee benefits are great for encouraging behavior that is conducive to the organization. If a team member goes above and beyond to get cross-functional projects done, coordinates with cross-cultural teams, or takes the initiative to train junior employees all by themselves, they deserve to be rewarded. The best way to reward them is to take a major expense off their shoulder by introducing the right benefits. 

With regard to employees, having benefit programs maximize the value of the benefits received, and minimize out-of-pocket expenses. It makes for better cash flow for employees and acts as a supplement to their current income. Employees also develop a sense of commitment towards the organization that takes care of them, which further fuels employee productivity, and eventually boosts organizational image. 

Types of Employee Benefits

As a thumb rule, it’s advised to have 20-40% of the total compensation package dedicated to employee benefits. The value of benefits, even those with clear price tags, actually will vary from individual to individual depending on the actual use. Additionally, you can choose to give some benefits to an exclusive group of employees, based on their experience, caliber, or department. 

Additionally, benefits are becoming hyper-personalized, according to life stages, and companies are required to get in touch with who their workforce really is to craft benefits for them.

Tina Wang, Divisional Vice President- Human Resources at a reputed management consulting firm says in an interview with NASDAQ, “Companies who understand how total compensation package expectations have changed are able to attract and retain their workforce. In 2024 we saw career progression take the front seat when it comes to employee benefits, followed by flexibility, and skill development.”

Health and Wellness Benefits

Non-work behaviors and personal problems can adversely affect an employee’s work. 

Health insurance

Depending on the gender, age, and background, you may need to select a few options to cover most health risks for themselves and their families. You can also choose reimbursement options that are tax-free and is a great way to scale if you have fluctuations in the workforce. 

Gym membership

This is a benefit you need to consider how to administer. You could do a reimbursement model if that works for you. This is an essential benefit to help employees avoid medical bills, but if people don’t want to use the gym, their membership will only go to waste. Instead, try a model that reimburses the fees of employees who actively use the gym.

Options to sponsor IV fertilization

This is a treatment that’s becoming increasingly popular and opted for by many couples worldwide, and it comes with a hefty bill. If you stand with your employees in their vulnerable moments, and help them through this tense period, they’ll remember it forever, and stay loyal to your organization, and the values you stand for. Consider including it in your health plan, if your policies allow it.

Menopause care benefits

Think about the category of women in your workforce between 44 and 55 years which may make up to 10% of your workforce. They face a multitude of health issues during this transition. Added to it, they manage mounting responsibilities at home and work, owing to their important role in both. All this definitely takes a toll on their body and mind, and they could use a lot of healthcare benefits, flexibility to make their schedule, and options to telecommute with short notice. 

Urgent care claim benefit

These are claims for medical care or treatment that could seriously jeopardize the life or health of the claimant and could not be managed without proper care. This is one of the moments that matter for your employees, and they need to be able to access the claim as and when they need it, without having to go through a million procedures and wait for long. Time and accuracy are of the essence when it comes to urgent care claim benefits.

Mental health care

This benefit has always been important and has been given to employees on varying scales and capabilities. It has become more prominent and its value realized by many since the pandemic. 24/7 helpline can be a lifesaver for your employees, and their loved ones. Proactive mental healthcare is on the rise right now, which includes stress management workshops, focus group sessions, expert-led events, 1:1 counseling, peer support networks, etc all of which are essential components to be certainly included in your EAP. Choose a holistic wellbeing partner who offers these proactive services along with reactive services, to safeguard your employees’ mental wellbeing.

Financial Benefits

Profit-sharing benefits

Sharing profits with your employees keeps them engaged, and shows you care about their growth since it has a direct impact on your earnings. Set rules early on and make them clear upfront. Develop a program that works for your business and a structure that stays true to it. Remind employees that profit isn’t the only goal, you need to ensure desirable behavior to achieve profits, and that’s what counts. Give people a stake in the outcome, celebrate every milestone, and revisit your structure regularly. Educate your employees on what’s possible and what’s not. Open your books, and show them what’s what, so they can set reasonable expectations.

Employee stock option plans

Shares represent an ownership stake in a company, whereas option represents a right to purchase shares in the company at a later date for a below-market price. It gives accountability and promotes long-term thinking and deep loyalty. If the employees are fired for cause, or leave the organization, they forfeit the stock option.

Retirement benefits

These are benefits an individual collects after retirement, so they are allowed to keep receiving paychecks even after they stop working. You can choose to pay a fixed monthly income over an individual’s lifetime or a lump sum payment. Your employees are also promised a pension amount based on age and years of experience in the company. Choose a combination of an employer, and employee plan where both parties make an annual payment before retiring. 

Work-Life Balance Benefits

Caregiving Benefits

If you have employees moving on-site from their hometown and have a baby and a working spouse, you may introduce on-site childcare benefits every month, for children up to a certain age, which will certainly help meet the additional costs of relocating to a different place. The provision of family-friendly options positively impacts employee satisfaction and organizational results, in turn.

Housing Subsidies

Likewise, taking care of relocation expenses can be a huge game-changer for employees who are moving away from home. Depending on the place they’re relocating to, the standard of living there, and the designation the person is in, their relocation fee and housing subsidy can be immensely helpful to them, and they’re likely to stay longer on the job. 

Adoption benefits

Most medical benefit plans provide maternity coverage, however, if you care about motherhood regardless of the form it takes, be it surrogacy, or adoption, it’s appropriate to provide some reimbursement to employees who choose to become parents through non-conventional methods as well. 

Professional Development Benefits

Tuition reimbursement and educational leave are two means of encouraging employees to add to their knowledge and skills. Every progressive organization wants its employees to be ready to face the future and make the organization resilient to any changes that may befall. Organizations are also investing in life and performance coaches for their employees, so they can achieve their potential in work and life. 

GenerationType of benefits most relevant to them
BoomerPre-retirement plansHealthcareOffboarding (from a career perspective)
Gen XEldercareFamily benefits and self-care benefits
Gen YFlexibility and autonomy
Millennials and Gen ZEnergizing work Mental health benefitsFamily, people, and planet-related benefitsCareer development benefits

Best Practices for Your Employee Benefits Program

1. Evaluate who you are and what you want as a culture in your company

What are your values and what benefit programs are congruent with these values? Do a healthy introspection, and first arrive at the causes, values you care about, what your workforce cares about, and match benefits that take care of such causes. Depending on the compensation strategy, employers will have to decide on whether to lead the market by offering above-the-market benefits, lag by offering only traditional benefits, or match what the market offers. 

2. Implement an organization-wide listening strategy

Use employee task forces, or focus groups to review ideas and express opinions. Ask your people and listen, truly. Some people can be overinsured but undersaved. Make sure you help them move from one stage to another by listening to them via employee engagement surveys, 1:1 conversations, exit interviews, stay interviews, and at all crucial employee lifecycle moments. Also ensure complete confidentiality in any data collection, so that employees feel free to come up with exactly what they want. Large organizations have large teams to take care of benefits. But, for smaller teams, it’s easier to bring people together and get the pulse of the company, and what’s important for you. It’s easier to experiment and continuously iterate with a smaller workforce. 

3. Consult with a benefits partner

The benefits partner takes care of administering a whole bunch of benefits to a wide workforce and has access to not only industry data, but also the utilization, and impact data of a wide segment of employees. They’re the best people to guide you on what benefits appeal the most to your teams and that won’t break your bank.

4. Personalize the way, means, and type of messaging you use to communicate benefits

Assess what your current communication methods are and rule out the ones employees feel aren’t conducive to them. Take a look at what means you use to inform and later update each employee on the benefits they can choose from (print copy during onboarding, a thoughtful, yearly email campaign, physical, in-person workshops, etc). Do you use text messaging to send regular reminders and follow-ups? Assess what you are doing that’s effective, what to improve, and how can you insert yourselves in the right way.

Communication, enrollment, and technology need to work together for a seamless experience. Choose communication methods and platforms that resonate the most with employees, and their families in a way that is impactful and resonates and makes people realize the choices they have. 

Ensure you have an omnichannel presence – print materials (during onboarding), text messages, email campaigns, digital assets, a thorough and constantly evolving benefits guide, and chatbots. Tailor the messaging to employees based on the packages they’ve chosen, their generation, and the life stage they’re in. 

Conclusion

As employee benefit needs evolve, organizations are moving to a mature ecosystem of benefits tech providers, where they’re open to welcoming point solutions, and complete HCM suites, to ease the workload and bring all information into one system. Is your HR tech stack and ecosystem modern enough to allow these modern point solutions? If not, it’s time to make a change. 

Picture of Amit Jain

Amit Jain

Chief People Officer, PeopleStrong

Amit leads the people revolution at PeopleStrong, focusing on employee well-being & organizational excellence. With a strong HR background, he champions diversity & inclusion. He enjoys writing, reading non-fiction & playing chess with his daughter.

Picture of Amit Jain

Amit Jain

Chief People Officer, PeopleStrong

Amit leads the people revolution at PeopleStrong, focusing on employee well-being & organizational excellence. With a strong HR background, he champions diversity & inclusion. He enjoys writing, reading non-fiction & playing chess with his daughter.

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