How do nontraditional benefits help attract and retain employees?
More companies are attracting and retaining employees by offering comprehensive wellness benefits, finding they can foster a healthy workplace and impact health care costs in the long run. Encouraging healthy lifestyles is assisted through such nontraditional benefits as discounts on gym memberships, company-sponsored health fairs, walking/running clubs, etc. Much of what an employer can expect from wellness programs depends on how they define wellness. Some nontraditional companies are offering such benefits as executive physical exams and spa retreats to encourage key leaders’ health and well-being. Other companies take a more holistic approach to wellness and offer yoga, meditation and stress reduction programs.
What does the future hold for nontraditional benefits?
The scope of nontraditional benefits is broad and ever-growing as companies become more innovative. Whether offering nontraditional benefits in hopes of having a positive impact on the company’s bottom line or helping employees juggle work-life demands, they are always well received by employees. It is no surprise that many of the companies included within Fortune magazine’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ offer nontraditional benefits. These same companies rank among the lowest in their industries in turnover.
Perhaps these employers are finding that nontraditional work-life benefits enable them to get the best from their employees as a result of offering a means to reduce stress and ‘recharge their batteries.’ It is safe to assume such forward-thinking companies will continue to adopt emerging benefits trends to ensure they attract and retain the best employees.
Craig Pritts is a sales executive for JRG Advisors, the management company for ChamberChoice. Reach him at (412) 456-7253 or [email protected].
