Benefits You Might Not Know are Benefits
When you think benefits, obvious examples come to mind – things like dental, vision, even massages… but did you know that group benefits plans have way more bandwidth than just the basics? Group Benefits is a broad term – it umbrellas over one hundred areas of added assistance employers can (and, sometimes, should) provide to their employees. Here are a few examples of perks you might not even know are considered benefits:
- Free parking or public transportation passes
- Consider paying for or contributing to your employees commuting needs. Depending on where you’re located, parking and transit costs can add up. With hybrid work environments on the rise, commuters may be coming from farther away than in previous years – let’s help them out!
- Special needs childcare coverage
- Full inclusion of children with disabilities in regular childcare is considered a key part of high-quality early childhood education and childcare, however, children with special needs often require a more-hands on level of care which can be costly. Adding this to your group benefits plan is a huge relief to parents in any capacity.
- College savings accounts
- As the work force gets older, so do their kids. We all know that post-secondary education is a huge expense, and helping your employees plan for these milestones is a huge benefit to any family.
- Meditation/mindfulness training
- Especially in times of working from home, it’s important to educate employees on their mental health and encourage healthy habits to deal with stress of any kind. Consider company wide mediation or mindfulness training to teach employees how to maintain a positive lifestyle.
- Debt management programs
- personal debt can cause many employees financial stress, which they can inevitably bring to work, a fact confirmed by the 2016 Manulife Financial Wellness Index. Helping employees manage and reduce debt can therefore pay off in efficiency, focus, and productivity gains — not to mention a happier workplace and increased job satisfaction.
- Dedicated community service time
- Giving back to the community on company time is a mutually beneficial endeavor. Many companies will allow employees to use workdays to contribute to non-profit organizations, things like volunteering at a community kitchen or planting trees. Not only does this benefit your employees by giving them some time out of the office, but it also allows them to contribute to a bigger cause.
The possibilities are endless. Get creative with your group benefits plan and watch employees not only work harder, but also watch their quality of life and overall job satisfaction skyrocket. Need help upgrading your group benefits plan? I think we know someone…
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
