As an employer or manager, you know how important it is to keep your workers happy. Poor morale and rampant job dissatisfaction will likely increase your employee turnover rate and cost you money. On the other hand, happy employees are more likely to feel loyal to your company and stay with you for the long run. They also tend to have a higher productivity rate than their unhappy counterparts.
One way to help your team members feel valued and cared for is to give them “extra” employer-provided benefits. These are perks above and beyond the legally required paid time off, workers’ compensation, and employer-provided health insurance. Employee benefits might include things like paid gym memberships, exclusive discount programs, or generous sick leave. To get the biggest bang for your buck, it’s important to offer perks your staff will actually use. Here are a few ways to prevent underutilization of benefits.
Provide Adequate Training
Some workers don’t take advantage of employer-provided benefits because they don’t know enough about them. Ideally, your human resources department should provide all team members with this information. They may do so through in-person meetings, webinars, question-and-answer sessions, or recorded videos. Beyond the initial training, it’s also wise to periodically send reminders and important benefits updates to employees via email.
In addition to outlining the exclusive perks available to company staff, it’s crucial to explain how to access those perks. For example, if workers need to fill out registration forms to gain access to your employee discount program, they need to know where those forms reside. They should also receive a detailed explanation of how to fill out and submit the forms. Education is key to making sure employees know what benefits are available to them and how to access them.
Limit PTO Rollover Capabilities
If you offer a generous paid time off policy, you’ll have an easier time retaining current employees and attracting new talent. Many working professionals value optimal work-life balance. Therefore, they specifically look for employers that offer PTO beyond the minimum legal requirements in their state. As a business owner, you can increase worker morale by offering a generous PTO policy. However, you’ll need to decide whether to allow PTO to roll over at the end of the year.
If your goal is to avoid underutilization of employee perks, you may want to consider not allowing PTO rollover, or at least limiting it. For example, you might adopt a policy that allows staff to roll over a maximum of 40 hours of unused paid time off. This type of policy offers some flexibility to keep people happy while also encouraging employees to use their PTO before they lose it.
Provide Perks Your Team Members Want
It may seem obvious, but if you want your team members to use their employer-provided benefits, you need to offer things they want. The perks you offer shouldn’t be based on your own unique interests. For example, if you’re an avid skier, you might think employer-paid annual skiing passes are the best perks you could provide. However, a large percentage of your staff may have little to no interest in outdoor winter sports.
Before implementing an exclusive employee perks program, find out what your team members like. Consider sending out a company-wide survey each year to learn what types of incentives they prefer. Be flexible and willing to adjust your program based on the feedback you receive. It may be impossible to fulfill everyone’s wishes. However, you could select two or three of the most popular survey options to keep the majority of your employees happy.
Minimize Benefits-Related Paperwork
Some people choose not to take advantage of employer-provided aids because it’s too much of a hassle to access them. If there’s excessive paperwork involved or the process is too complex, some people will simply forego the employee perks they’re entitled to. It’s wise to periodically analyze benefits-related paperwork to determine if there are opportunities for simplification.
Fortunately, there are various apps and self-service portals available to streamline the benefits enrollment process. They can empower team members to fill out their paperwork online with help from guided tutorials. They also make it possible for workers to access their benefits information at their convenience instead of waiting on HR staff to assist them.
Assess Benefits Usage Data Regularly
It’s hard to know how to improve your current benefits program unless you know how much usage it’s getting. Analyzing utilization rates can help you identify the perks employees value the most and which generate little to no interest. You can start this process by using data analysis tools or by creating employee focus groups to have workers report which benefits they use.
Regularly assessing benefits usage empowers you to adjust your offerings according to popularity. It can also help you avoid wasting money on perks that don’t generate enough interest to justify the price tag. Be transparent and let your workers know which benefits you’re removing or adjusting and why.
It doesn’t feel good to give someone a gift they clearly don’t appreciate. As an employer, it can be frustrating to offer a generous employee benefits package that no one seems to care about. Follow these tips to create a perks program workers will actually be excited to use.
