ThinkTWENTY20

A February 16, 2022 article in VentureBeat, contributed by Zach Dunn, co-founder and VP of Customer Experience at Robin, a workplace platform, says that organizations today face a rare opportunity to revisit old work standards and make changes that better support employees, attract new talent and improve the overall productivity of all workers. “Hybrid, remote, flexible — today’s workplace is more attuned to the needs of employees than ever before,” Dunn writes.

To uncover what workplace perks matter to employees today and how employers have — or haven’t — adjusted their perks since the onset of the pandemic, Robin recently surveyed more than 500 full-time employees.

Since 2019, says the article, the competitive job market has been driving new and creative perks to attract talent. “The job market has never been more competitive, with resignations reaching record highs and the talent shortage impacting every industry.”

Knowing that employee needs changed over the past two years, Dunn goes on to say, “it’s telling to see that the top three most desired perks employees want to be introduced by employers are more time off (45%), a wellness stipend (30%) and the ability to work from anywhere (29%).”

Dunn continues, “As burnout is a serious issue in workplaces worldwide, this isn’t surprising. Based on our data, workers would love to see their phone and internet covered — reasonable but rarely provided perks.”

The generational gap in the workplace can present significant challenges for leaders trying to attain and retain talent alongside the transition to more flexible working models. According to Dunn, “while millennials view perks and benefits as one of the top three items they look at when choosing an employer, boomers remain apathetic about their organization’s workplace perks. Fifty-six percent of respondents within this demographic report their feelings about perks haven’t changed, though many reported losing them due to the pandemic and that their employers failed to create any new offerings.”

While workplace leaders may not keep all of their employees happy all the time, Dunn suggests that “keeping these contrasting values in mind when revamping your offerings will put you in a much better position to create a productive and happy workforce. For those struggling to get started, distributing a survey to employees for insight into their preferred way of working is a great way to create an open dialogue for workers to share feedback. This best practice informs the process of eliminating existing perks that no longer fit your organization and replacing them with new offerings that align with employees’ preferences. “

For more, check out The future of employee perks in the post-pandemic workplace | VentureBeat.