TALENT RETENTION
Employees are asking for and getting unusual perks
The employee mindset has completely shifted because of the “Great Resignation,” according to Paul Lewis, chief customer officer at job search engine Adzuna (at www.adzuna.com).
As companies try to find new ways to retain and attract talent, current employees and job seekers are asking for new perks and benefits they value, Lewis says.
One favorite in-demand benefit is “pawternity” leave. As more companies are requiring that their employees come into the office a few times a week, bonding between a pet and its owner is a bit more challenging, says Lewis. While this leave is not as long as maternity and paternity leave, “employees are able to have the chance to bond with their pets and begin training them before they have to go back into the office all day.”
Lewis says that many job hunters are looking for dogfriendly offices. There are 1,300 jobs companies advertising this perk, according to Adzuna data. Currently this benefit is popular with companies like Google, Refinery29, Purina and Airbnb.
Fertility benefits have also become popular among employees, Lewis says, adding, “There are more companies now offering benefits for those struggling to conceive, including egg freezing, IVF and sometimes even surrogacy.”
Fully 2,563 job vacancies offer this benefit, according to Adzuna research.
The software company Salesforce, for example, offers $75,000 in IVF benefits to its employees in addition to offering adoption assistance and enhanced parental leave. Starting a family can be difficult for many, Lewis says, and employees and job seekers want to know that their employer will be understanding and will assist them.
“During and following the pandemic, more employees grew to like remote work even more and found it to provide flexibility [and] a better work/ life balance and allowed them to be able to work in different places,” Lewis says.
Employees want to work permanently remotely from anywhere. Currently there are 12,846 vacancies for work-from-anywhere roles, with IT being the sector with the highest number of positions. Companies such as Pearson, Quora and American Express, to name a few, implement this perk, as it has been a key to work-life balance, which is critical for company culture, Lewis says.
When it comes to work-life balance, Lewis says, employees also want unlimited PTO, or paid time off, so that they can have more than 10-15 days throughout the year to be able to remove themselves from their computers and not feel burnt out.
“This perk is becoming an even more popular option for employers to offer, as they have found that it increases employee productivity,” Lewis says.
There are 3,727 roles available with unlimited vacation.
Lewis also cited Conductor, (at www.conductor.com), an international marketing platform, which launched YOLO (You Only Live Once) months, which permits its employees or conductors two months a year to work from anywhere in the world.
“They can work in a European city, travel or spend extra time with family while working virtually and maintaining traditional hours,” Lewis says. Conductor’s first YOLO month was in mid-March; the next is scheduled in August.
Employees want to work permanently remotely from anywhere. Currently there are 12,846 vacancies for work-from-anywhere roles, with IT being the sector with the highest number of positions.