Give an example of a low-cost benefit that employees love?
To help you identify low-cost benefits that employees love, we asked HR and business leaders this question for their best insights. From a pet-friendly office to extra days off to free food, there are several examples of benefits that are not costly but make employees really happy.
Here are 10 low-cost benefits these leaders offer their employees:
- A Pet-Friendly Office
- Working Remotely
- Flexible Work Schedules
- Turnkey Child Care Benefits
- Casual Dress Code
- Extra Day Off
- Benefits Personalized to Employee Choice
- Professional Development Workshops
- Employee-of-the-Month Bonus
- Free Food
A Pet-Friendly Office
Everyone loves a pet-friendly office. Not only are employees happier at work, but it develops relationships in the office. Colleagues can take their dogs on walks during lunchtime or end the day at the dog park together. It improves company culture and employees are able to connect and interact with each other in ways other than work.
Chris Vaughn, CEO, Emjay
Working Remotely
The ability to work remotely is always a convenient and appreciated benefit. Employees can save money with the ability to work remotely, eliminating any costs they would incur from daily commutes. Furthermore, the company could also benefit financially, not having to restock as many office supplies. Flexibility in terms of work location is something that many employees have come to value, and at this point, it is often a factor in what jobs they look for.
Nick Shackelford, Managing Partner, Structured Agency
Flexible Work Schedules
This is one benefit I see as a win-win because it costs nothing to implement and is very in-demand among workers and job candidates. This doesn’t need to mean completely relinquishing control of your team’s schedules, either. If you need team members on the clock at certain times, or want to have a few guaranteed hours the whole team will be working, you can set certain “must work” time periods then give employees the freedom to choose when they work the rest, whether that’s a week-to-week decision or a set schedule they’ll maintain.
Jon Hill, Chairman & CEO, The Energists
Turnkey Child Care Benefits
With over 59% of working parents struggling to access and afford Child Care, leading to high absenteeism and 86% diminished productivity, adding Child Care as a benefit provides the highest return on human capital investment. Traditional solutions, such as on-site care or contracting with large centers, have always been expensive and require heavy HR administration. However, now new technology has created a comprehensive low-cost solution that requires zero administration. For example, parents love how our company’s Child Care benefits allow them to access all types of care to meet the specific needs of their families, including full-time, part-time, after-school, learning centers, and summer camps. Best of all, they can find care no matter what time they work or where in the country they live.
And employers love how turnkey our company is, how it integrates with HRIS, and most importantly, its impact on retention, recruitment, productivity, and creating a family-friendly culture.
Kevin Ehlinger, VP Product Marketing, TOOTRiS Child Care On-Demand
Casual Dress Code
For every person that loves coming to work in a suit, there are three that would very much prefer to have more lenient dress code rules. It’s certainly a low cost benefit that will catch the attention of both employees and potential candidates in the future. Especially young workers will see this as a considerable benefit that elevated your workspace above the rest. After all, a casual dress code allows not only for comfortable clothes at work but also the ability to express yourself at work.
Michal Laszuk, SEO Outreach Specialist, PhotoAiD
Extra Day Off
Anyone would love to have an extra day that they can spend on their personal needs. This must be beyond the allowed number of leaves. They can use it for whatever purpose that they may deem to be necessary. It can be some moments to breathe and relax. Or they may spend the day finishing some items that have long been in the “waiting zone”. Some may even spend the day doing nothing. All these are good for maintaining the balance between work and personal life. They will appreciate their company for giving them this privilege. They may even need this to de-stress. Mental health must be given a top priority in the modern working world. Bear in mind that workers are also human. A day without work that is paid can be a precious gift for them.
Laura Martinez, Consultant and Content Writer, PersonalityMax
Benefits Personalized to Employee Choice
Want to know what benefit employees most love? Choice. If you want to know what kind of low-cost benefits would incentivize your employees or provide them with a meaningful “high-five” for a job well done, just ask. Their answers may surprise you. Maybe one employee loves to read Kindle Unlimited, which costs $9.99 per month. The same as the basic monthly membership to Planet Fitness for the workout champ. Those with family care responsibilities might ask you to comp them half-day Fridays for the next month.
What feels like a benefit to one may not matter much to another. For a benefit to feel, well, beneficial, it needs to mean something. So just ask. Choice is a powerful benefit.
Sheila Callaham, Executive Director, Age Equity Alliance
Professional Development Workshops
Training is an effective and appealing way to train your staff. It can also help plug any gaps you have in terms of talent offering, as well as upskill people who may not yet be fully qualified for the positions they’re pursuing within a company or organization’s operations team due to their lack of experience with certain technologies used today’s modern business world – but this doesn’t mean it should end there! You must ensure these new hires are properly trained so that together we make sure every inch gets its due consideration; providing efficient solutions while keeping things running smoothly at all times will go miles toward ensuring success through collaborative work efforts.
Connor Ondriska, Co-founder & CEO, SpanishVIP
Employee-of-the-Month Bonus
Companies have monthly meetings. At the start or at the end of every meeting, announce an employee of the month for their performance. Have the managers nominate someone and have the executives take a vote. Make the reward some sort of monetary prize, maybe a $100 bonus. Or perhaps make it a $100 VISA gift card. Such a bonus contest induces a friendly competition among employees. Winners can use the gift card at a restaurant or take the bonus money and add it to a vacation fund. If you offer something like that every month, it only turns out to be a $1,200 payroll expense – something that any business can cover.
John Sarson, CEO, American Crypto Academy
Free Food
Free food is always appreciated. Be sure to stock the fridge with water and juices, and fill the pantry with snacks such as fruit, pretzels, or oatmeal. Employees will snack on these throughout the day and will appreciate the gesture if they skipped breakfast in the morning. It’s a small cost that contributes to the well-being of team members.
Randee Machina, Director of Marketing, Simpli Pleasures
