3 Employee Benefits That Will Make Your Company Stand Out to Candidates

While salary will always naturally be the main deciding factor when a candidate is considering a job move, 60% of job seekers say that employee benefits and perks can determine whether they accept a job offer or not.

The pandemic has had a big impact on the kinds of benefits candidates are looking for in new employers - and the level of expectation too. If you’re struggling to attract candidates to your roles even though you’re offering the market rate, you’re not alone. Competition for talent is tough right now - and candidates know it!

However, if you include the right employee benefits to your compensation package that tap into what candidates are looking for, this will give you a strong advantage and help you stand out as an employer who listens to what employees want.

Here are some employee benefits that will make your roles hard to resist in 2022.

1. Flexible working

After two years of lockdowns, it’s likely you’re sick of talking about WFH arrangements.

But it’s worth bearing in mind that the working world has changed so much since the pandemic that having the option to work from home is no longer a perk as far as candidates are concerned – it’s an expectation.

Remember that ‘flexible’ doesn’t always have to mean working from home either. It’s just about recognising your employees’ needs and showing a willingness to work around them –  provided, of course, that they meet expectations in terms of their weekly or monthly job outcomes.

So for example, flexible start/finish times, compressed hours, flexi-time and job sharing are all options that show you’re willing to offer some form of flexibility to your employees. It’s not a free-for-all, but an opportunity to show you have the kind of workplace culture where you trust employees to get the job done to a high standard and offer some flexibility in return.

As difficult a pill as this can be to swallow, candidates nowadays are looking for ways they can fit work around their lives – not the other way around. Indicating a willingness to recognise and adapt to this will make your offer much more attractive than an employer who runs a tight 9-5 ship.

Having a strict office-based working model will make it hard for you to compete with employers who offer some sort of flexibility, so it’s absolutely worth trying to work out a way you can offer it in some capacity.

2. Childcare-related benefits

When school closures made distance learning the norm, suddenly parents became teachers on top of being employees overnight.

So it’s safe to say, the pandemic hit working parents hard, and job seekers with families will be looking for employers who empathise and offer employee benefits that respond to this.

During the first lockdowns, 27% of businesses reported that they’d implemented ‘non-traditional’ childcare benefits (e.g. childcare stipends and flexible working hours) to support staff with families and 99% of these businesses intend to continue this offering.

And sure, schools have reopened for now, but how employers responded to the situation will still be fresh in parents' minds.

So if a great candidate with a family is choosing between job offers and yours is the only one that doesn’t offer childcare benefits, just think about the impact that will be having on your hiring strategy.

3. Mental health support

Reports of anxiety and depression in adults have increased 30% since the pandemic. What could you be offering as part of your compensation package that demonstrates empathy with those who have been, and perhaps continue to struggle?

For example, some businesses offer employees the option of subsidised private counseling, mental health days off or even annual subscriptions to counseling and wellbeing apps.

Similarly, wellness initiatives like gym memberships, free yoga classes subscriptions to meditation apps all contribute to building an employer brand that shows you clearly care about staff wellbeing. And what candidate wouldn’t want that?

With the global talent shortage showing no sign of easing up in 2022, as an employer you’ll want to put a lot of focus on recruiting and retaining talented employees.

Providing an attractive package that includes the employee benefits mentioned in this article will play a significant role in attracting great staff, keeping your job offers competitive and ensuring your hires stay happy in the business for longer.

If you’d like to talk to a recruitment expert in your sector about developing attractive job offers your target candidates can’t refuse, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.