Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » Exercise Programs » What Happens To Office Perks When People Are Working From Home? – Forbes

04 April 2020, Hamburg: The yoga teachers Benita and Immanuel Grosser at the beginning of a yoga ... [+] lesson, which they stream live on the Internet via smartphone. The yoga center "Y8" in Hamburg-Eimsbttel, a non-profit association and art space, broadcasts several classes daily via live stream. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa (Photo by Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Company drinks, subsidized meals, gym memberships, massages, manicures and pizza nights. Not so long ago these were some of the benefits office workers enjoyed as businesses sought to attract and retain top talent. But with people now working from home, and likely to do so for some time, employee priorities have changed and employers are having to adapt. So, how are organizations flexing to meet the new demands of a largely at-home workforce? And what are some of the challenges they face in the future as we move towards a more hybrid working model?

In-Office Perks

Before the pandemic, employee benefits typically focused on the in-office experience, starting with the office space itself. Thats where employees spent most of their time, so it made sense that it should be as fun and inspiring as possible. In the fiercely competitive Silicon Valley, tech innovators earned a particular reputation for lavish perks and office environments designed for work, play, relaxation and even sleep. Rooftop running tracks, workplace cafeterias serving up haute cuisine, games rooms, libraries, yoga studios, not to mention sleep and nap pods for those needing a quick refresh between assignments every need was catered for as companies fought in the war for talent.

Wellbeing Takes Center Stage

However, now that the office is out of the equation, businesses are having to look at the employee experience afresh. Their challenge? To support and reward their people when everyone is working in different places, at a time when peoples responsibilities and priorities have changed. As Mark Stelzner, Founder of HR consultancy IA, points out, employers today are not only stewards of the employees they serve, but of their extended family and benefits need to reflect that.

In this new world of work, physical and mental wellbeing have taken on a whole new significance. Employees now are looking to their employers to help them do their job effectively and cope with the challenges they face in their new blended personal and professional life. According to Robert Hicks, Group HR Director at Reward Gateway, a companys wellbeing offering is likely to be the number question candidates ask prospective employers or research ahead of interview. Firms that do well at wellbeing will see talent stay and join. Those that dont, will struggle.

What wellbeing support looks like will vary from one company to the next, but options include access to virtual fitness platforms and meditation apps such as Wellbeats and Headspace, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and personal fitness budgets that can be spent on, for example, sports gear and exercise equipment. Some companies such as Pinterest have even moved their regular exercise classes online so that employees can continue to work out from home. Expect to see this focus on wellbeing continue as employers increasingly realize that happy, healthy employees are engaged and productive employees.

Holistic Wellbeing Support

An important part of overall wellbeing, financial health has been seriously compromised during the pandemic. According to National Endowment for Financial Education research, four in five Americans are stressedabout their personal finances due to the current crisis. This is hardly surprising given how many people have lost their jobs in the past year or taken a pay cut, or have perhaps experienced a drop in household income due to their partner being out of work. As a result, were seeing a new wave of benefits aimed at providing employees with essential financial support. These include discount schemes offering savings on household appliances, home office grants enabling employees to buy what they need to work effectively from home, or access to financial planners or subsidized child care assistance. In future, as more people work from home, Play Consultings Marcus Thornley thinks we may start to see home utility grants, whereby employers contribute to work-from-home costs such as Wi-Fi, heating and electricity.

Flexible Working

Flexible working is still very important; employees surveyed by Tiger Recruitment said it was their number three priority when looking for a new role, after salary and job security. However, employees see it as a given. Theyve enjoyed the flexibility theyve experienced during the pandemic and are intent on keeping it up. It changes the rat race model of being chained to a desk in an office 40+ hours a week, said one survey respondent, while another remarked, I just dont want to go back to commuting 4+ hours a day and having a 9-5 regime. A new twist on flexible working, employers are increasingly offering more flexible hours to accommodate people who are currently juggling childcare and homeschooling alongside their regular job. Employers who continue to offer flexible hours will find that they can open up their talent pools to underrepresented groups who will now be able to work alongside their other (caring) responsibilities.

Flexible Benefits

As for the future of employee benefits, and adapting to how were likely to work after the pandemic, the watchword is flexibility. Every employee needs different kinds of support, so a benefits program that is flexible in nature, that allows employees to have benefits that are right for them, is key, says Reward Strategys Robert Hicks.

That means an employee benefits offering that is sufficiently broad and can be personalized to the individual, wherever and however they work, and whatever is important to them. And as more people work from home, its vital that employers clearly communicate those benefits and ensure that employees know the value of using them and how they can access them at the point of need.

Post-pandemic, with many companies planning to reduce or do away with their office space, employee benefits are going to have to work harder than ever. The benefits a company chooses to offer speaks volumes about the business, the culture and the extent to which it values its people. And for organizations serious about attracting and retaining the talent they need to get through these difficult times and emerge stronger on the other side, employee benefits are no longer a nice-to-have but a necessary part of doing business.

Read the rest here:
What Happens To Office Perks When People Are Working From Home? - Forbes

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » Exercise Programs » What Happens To Office Perks When People Are Working From Home? – Forbes