Taking time to welcome in the familiar sounds and climate the autumn season brings, I can only help but get caught up in the idea that… football is back!!! And while I am preparing to watch from my favorite chair two “gladiators” attempt to destroy each other… I am unfortunately interrupted by a thought—no one roots for second place. I mean, no one takes time out of their day, sits down, and cheers for the team to lose. Sure, we all can cheer for the underdog, but mainly because we want the underdog to win—NOT lose.
This thought surely crossed my mind because my marketing team recently asked me to write an article on the BEST health benefits to offer to my employees. Truthfully, my knee-jerk reaction to this request was, Who cares? Pick something, and call it good. But the more I mull it over, I realize I do actually care about my benefits. I care a LOT. And as an employer or business leader, I believe you should care too.
Standard employee health benefits are boring
Are you average? Does your company come in 2nd place? If they offer these benefits and nothing more– Health, Life, Dental, Vision, Retirement, Paid Time Off, and Holidays off– then I hate to break it to you, but you likely should consider yourself middle of the road.
These benefits are standard and at this point in time, somewhat boring. Please do not misinterpret what I am getting at. I am in NO way telling you that you do not need these benefits. I am simply trying to get to see that to be competitive and attractive to employees, you’ll need to do more. After all, you wouldn’t consider yourself “winning” if you bought a new car and it came with cruise control. Standard is standard. All packages should include these basic fundamental items, but we can do so much better.
The healthcare options that will WOW your employees
Your employees are like your fans. If you don’t give them something to be excited about, they will likely lose interest. This is your chance to show your team spirit. When considering your benefits offering, think about what your WOW factor could be– something that gets people pumped, excited, and impressed about choosing your company.
The following questions will help you determine what you are currently doing now, show you where you can revamp your offerings, and motivate you to be better.
Tips that Whirk:
- What does your company do better than your competitors?
- What does your company do that no one else in your industry is doing?
- What are the things your employees LOVE about working for you?
A WOW statement is something that no one else is doing or that everyone is doing—BUT you can do it better! Take time and jot down your benefits package and then assess where it lays. Is it standard and boring? Can you do better? Looking at your benefits, would you be excited to come to work?
Benefits have been turned into a trendy way to show the potential talented candidate that you should choose me and my company because we offer health, dental, and a 401K option. The problem with trying to entice people through benefits is that it is easy to copy. At one time, the number of vacation days you got, and the amount of your co-pay was compelling, and could even be considered a competitive advantage, but not anymore. The objective should be to WOW our employees and our future ones by offering and promoting something that is not easily copyable.
Flexible Schedules Could Be Your WOW, if done well.
Flexible does not mean, work anywhere, anytime, with zero parameters around the new concept. It does mean shifting away from the nine-to-five mentality. Affording employees some time options is an easy way to adopt flexibility and still maintain productivity and legal compliance.
Benefit Ideas that Whirk:
Work Out On The Clock: Start you day on the treadmill, gym, or in a class.
Schedule Down Time During The Day: Mix in time away from the office that is on the calendar. Everyone is aware that you are out of the office and can plan and prepare for your absence.
Give a 4-day Weekend on Holidays: Pick a couple of federal holidays during the year and add another day to the weekend.
Tri-Factor Training For the Win: A well-rounded individual has a healthy sense of confidence in all aspects of their life. The day-to-day is an imperfectly blended system of blurred lines where all three aspects (Mental, Physical, and Spiritual) are constantly being challenged. A training program that focuses on being mentally fit, physically fit, and spiritually fit can disrupt the anxiety, burnout, and resignation you may be experiencing among your employees
Benefit Ideas that Whirk:
Paid counseling sessions: Each employee has the option to use a few sessions a year to help.
Team Building events: Yes, get together out of the office and do something that is challenging and rewarding.
Strict Adherence to One “No Work” day per 7 days: Just what it says—pick a day and do NO WORK.
Final Thoughts
You may or may not be a football fan, but if you are a fan of having dedicated, excited, and healthy employees on your team then you need to refocus on being #1 in your benefit offerings. WOW your staff by thinking about what matters to them. Take care of them and get them excited to be a member of your team. And when we do that…we all win.
Check out our How to Build the Ideal Small Business Benefits Package blog for more ideas on how to bulk up your benefits, or spend some time learning about if the way you’re offering benefits is IRS compliant (aka, Do you have a POP Doc?). We love having conversations about employees and will be happy to help you think through how to position yourself as an attractive workplace that people get excited to work for.
