The New Face of Employee Perks

The nature of the American workplace has changed in the past few years. The pandemic sent everyone to a home office, and some are yet to come back. The “Great Resignation” has created an extreme turnover challenge for thousands of businesses, and the talent wars are hotter than ever. And, add into that mix that the largest group of employable Americans, millennials, seek out jobs for reasons that mean more to them than simply a salary figure. This amalgamation of factors has created a perfect storm of sorts and has businesses looking for a fresh take on the employee perk.

Here are some numbers to consider:

• A recent Harvard study found that workers value the basics (for example, clean air, natural light, flexible hours, and short commutes) over fancier resources (like fitness gadgets and free lunches). 
• In a recent Deloitte Human Capital Trends survey, 93% of respondents agreed that a sense of belonging drives organizational performance. 
• A survey conducted by Owl labs suggested that remote workers are happier and stay in their jobs longer.

Now that companies have these new goals and steep hiring challenges, the days of ping pong tables and kombucha bars are seemingly over. Today’s more savvy employee wants a deeper, more meaningful set of perks. And, with so many job market options, employers understand that they have to get creative to attract the right talent.

Rethink your “back-to-the-office” policy.

 Just because your employees can come back to the office full-time doesn’t mean they need to. Many companies are set in their ways in terms of having their employees in the office from 9-to-5 or some mainstream variation of the workday. In some cases, the business cannot function without an onsite presence, but in a vast majority of cases, it can not only function but thrive with a remote team or a hybrid workforce. 

It’s important for companies at this juncture to understand what their team wants and explore ways to facilitate it. By forcing employees to come back when they’ve grown accustomed to the remote work life, can create a negative culture and, even worse, lead to the loss of key talent.

Make your perks meaningful.

It seems like it could go without saying that your employee perks should be meaningful to your employees, but you’d be surprised. The IPA beer bar when most of the employees don’t drink. The free happy hours after work when most of the employees are parents or students, so they don’t have time to socialize after office hours. The one-off perk that happens unexpectedly with no consistency loses its impact. These are all ways that businesses fail at the employee perk game. It can be, at best, a waste of time and money; and, at worst, have a negative impact on the employees.

Create workplace experiences

There is one thing your remote workforce can’t get outside of your office, and it is likely something they crave and appreciate. That’s the shared experience of being together with colleagues in the office. When the experience is meaningful and positive, it can create a sense of belonging and community. (Remember that mention of millennials? This is something they seek out regularly.) A carefully crafted workplace experience or event can do wonders to foster emotional connections with the workplace and colleagues. These workplace experiences should be catered to your audience and range from educational workshops to Friday cake. These experiences can create an easier transition from the comforts of the home office.

Explore the work from anywhere concept.

While some employees love working from home, many have learned that it comes with drawbacks, including spotty wi-fi, piles of laundry that create a distraction, and lack of space. Additionally, while many workers shy away from coming back to the office every day, they do seek a place where they can work side by side with key colleagues or foster collaboration and meetings on a routine basis. Hence the rise of the “third space.” As the name implies, it is a third option, not the main office and not the employees’ home, but a third option of where to work and collaborate. These types of workspaces can allow employees to find a sense of community while also tapping into a collaboration network that helps them produce better work. It’s a true win-win.

Crown Center Executive Suites, located in South Florida, specializes in creating a comfortable workspace for teams, solopreneurs and satellite divisions of larger businesses. Our state-of-the-art facility provided the perfect backdrop for the post-pandemic hybrid and remote workforce as they defined the new landscape together. Employees love the perk of having a place to work that’s centrally located, comfortable, and easy to come and go as needed. 

Stop by Crown Center Executive Suites for a tour today and explore a meaningful employee perk that brings with it, such as:

• Flexible workspaces to fit any need – shared offices, virtual desks, conference and meeting rooms, day offices on demand, and more.
• Free parking, 24/7 access
• State-of-the-art technology and comfortable breakroom settings
• And so much more!