Employees Want More Wellbeing-Focused Benefits

Workers want employee benefits that better support their wellbeing, yet a significant proportion of organisations are failing to offer the right mix, particularly when it comes to women’s health. These are two of the main findings from two separate pieces of recent research.

[Related reading: Are Your Health And Wellbeing Benefits Flexible Enough?]

Employee Benefits Need To Focus On Wellbeing Needs

Just under a quarter of employees (23%) want their employers to offer employee benefits that better support their wellbeing, new research shows.

According to WorkLife by OpenMoney’s Small Business Monitor, conducted in March among more than 700 senior financial and HR decision makers in UK SME companies, a significant proportion of employees (32%) also want increased flexible working options. Just over a quarter (27%) said they want more training and development opportunities.

Further down the list of employee benefit wants were payroll loans 16%), cycle to work schemes (14%) and green initiatives (13%), such as electric vehicle purchase schemes. Better fitness services and gym membership benefits were cited by 9% of respondents, while special rates on insurance and personal technology were wanted by 8%.

Steve Bee, director of WorkLife by OpenMoney, said: "Given the clear impact that recruitment challenges are having on UK businesses as a whole, establishing the right approach is crucial."

He added that while organisations may not be in a position to increase salaries, there are a number of cost-effective benefits and training and development options that can help to motivate existing staff and attract new talent.

Majority Of Organisations Do Not Offer Menstrual Support

Meanwhile, separate research has revealed how the majority of employers do not offer menstrual support to their employees. According to the Employee Benefits poll, 66% of employers do not currently provide menstrual support in the workplace.

In fact, just 9% of those surveyed said their employer offers menstrual support, while 25% said it was being considered.

In May 2022, Spain became the first country in Western Europe to offer guaranteed time off for women experiencing severe period pain, up to three days each month. Other countries that have similar policies include Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Zambia. 

Spain’s reform also includes additional measures designed to support menstrual health, including sanitary pads to be provided in schools, menstrual products to be provided for free to women in marginalised social circumstances and removing VAT from their sale price in supermarkets.

Secretary of State for Equality Angela Rodriguez said to the El Periodico newspaper: “One in four women cannot choose the feminine hygiene products she wants to buy for financial reasons. That is why we propose that they can be dispensed free of charge in educational and social centres.”

[Related reading: How Employee Benefits Could Plug The Mental Health Support Gap]

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With workers expressing a desire for employee benefits that better support their wellbeing and many organisations currently not delivering when it comes to menstrual support, a clear opportunity exists. At a time when labour and skills are increasingly hard to come by, ensuring you are offering the right mix of employee benefits has never been more important.