Isn’t it wonderful to be working from home with flexible schedules? Because of the coronavirus pandemic, companies have implemented hybrid models for remote working. Many employees prefer the hybrid work environment over being in the office all the time as it helps to improve their work-life balance.
Having the option to work remotely allows workers to have more personal time, helping them create healthier boundaries between personal life and work. They get to wake up later (or earlier), be more productive and focussed, as well as save on commuting costs.
The benefits of hybrid work are undeniable. Your employees are happier and healthier, and some of them are reportedly more productive without the distractions in the office.
In our latest Employer Brand Research, 7 in 10 respondents in Malaysia said that work-life balance is an important employee value proposition factor that they look for in an ideal employer. 46% said it’s important to them to have the possibility to work remotely or from home.
After two years of the great work-from-home experiment, even employers in Asia agree that hybrid and remote work is our future. It strengthens their employer branding and improves their ability to attract new talent who are looking for organisations that offer more work flexibility.
While the good news is that many companies are offering remote work or hybrid work arrangements for a better work-life balance, the reality is that employee benefits have not really caught up with the changes just yet.
do you know what are the new talent expectations on employee benefits?
You will need to change your workplace strategies for a hybrid workforce. When employees are engaged in hybrid work, in-person interactions would be replaced by digital communications and you may find that some of our employees are not physically in the office.
Prior to the pandemic, many companies spruced up their office space to make the office more friendly, colourful and collaborative to both attract and retain talent. Furthermore, these new designs can help to enrich the employee experience and boost company culture.
These office enhancements were introduced by many companies as a strategy to attract and retain talent. Entertainment like foosball tables and game consoles could be found in almost every company. Employees who feel tired or stressed in the middle of the day could take a power nap in one of the pods to recharge. Some organisations even went as far as building a gym and childcare centre in the office for their employees.
Despite the fact that these enhancements would enrich the office culture, how much of these employee benefits are being used by your employees these days? When they are working from home, it’s not quite likely that they will come to the office just so they can use the dumbbells and cable machines to stay fit.
And even if you do offer gym memberships to your workforce, how many of your employees still have an active gym membership after the pandemic? Many people have already explored more convenient options such as a boutique gym that is nearer to where they live, or other types of wellness activities such as yoga, meditation or a massage to help them unwind and maintain their physical health.
outdated employee benefits
Here are some employee benefits that you may want to consider cutting down on:
- Entertainment that takes up significant real estate in the office such as foosball table or table tennis table
- In-house gyms and sleeping pods
- Free parking as long as the employee owes a car
- A desk phone for each employee
1. new employee benefits to meet changing talent expectations
So what type of benefits and employee expectations do hybrid and remote workers want from employers and how would these benefits help them have a better work-life balance and higher productivity?
Even though the laptop is issued by the company, they have to get their own earpiece to attend virtual meetings. Being in the hybrid work model, some employees may also want to buy their own wireless mouse because it’s easier to use than the trackpad. Employees who spend more than 3 days a week working from home are more likely to buy an ergonomic chair to sit on so that their backs don’t ache as much. After all, they are going to be spending at least 20 hours in that chair.
Not forgetting, working from home means that they have to use more electricity to power up their devices and wifi routers so that they can continue sending emails and give presentations without any glitches.
2. new employee benefits to offer to hybrid and remote employees
Here are some employee benefits that you may want to consider offering:
- Work-from-home allowances so that they can pay for additional expenditures such as an extra monitor, or ergonomic keyboard and mouse for work
- Partial reimbursement for either their internet or phone expenditures
physical and mental health support
Another area that you could step up as an employer is to support the well-being and mental health of your employees. Employees’ well-being should never be overlooked and should be one of the most important things to be included within your business goals. The definition of health has changed, and people are now more aware of the effects and impact of a healthy mind and body as well. However, employees could be facing elevated stress at home or at work, which would lead to them making more mistakes or feeling demotivated at work.
To prevent that from happening, many companies are offering employees’ wellness programmes such as yoga, meditation, employee support programmes or even therapy reimbursements. Besides providing wellness programmes, some companies are offering no-question mental health days in which employees can take a day off to rest and recharge their mind.
Employees’ well-being benefits could also come in the form of parental and childcare leave for working parents, so that they don’t have to use their personal leave for meet-the-parent sessions with the school or to take care of their kids when they get sick.
3. new employee benefits for better health and well-being
Here are some employee benefits that you may want to consider offering:
- Mental health days
- No-meeting fridays
- Shorter work weeks
- Parental and childcare leave
- Family care leave
- Workaway programmes
Since the workplace culture has changed in recent years, all these new employee benefits will improve the hybrid workplace experience.
At Randstad, we support our diverse workforce and advocate a future workplace. We offer our employees workaway programmes, hybrid work allowances and family care leave as part of our all-embracing work-life balance strategy. Under these new initiatives, our employees have the opportunity to spend more meaningful time with their families and work more productively no matter where they are.
download checklist: employee benefits for hybrid workers.
connect with us to learn more about new work-life initiatives
Taking care of your employees’ well-being can be very rewarding. Your workforce is happier, healthier and more likely to share their positive experiences with their friends and family. Connect and engage with your employees to share their stories on your website and social media accounts to strengthen your employer brand and improve your ability to attract new talent.
Our team of specialised recruiters partner with leading start-ups and organisations to help promote their employer brand and attract new talent. Connect with us if you are interested in knowing more about new work-life initiatives that other companies or countries are offering to boost your employer brand.
Alternatively, If you're looking for a new job or career development opportunities, view all our latest jobs and apply for a job.