SWNYBENEFITS by Marie Haaland
New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
NEWS COPY - WITH VIDEO AND INFOGRAPHIC
As the modern workplace continues to evolve, so do the expectations of today's workforce. According to new research, “fun” perks like nap pods, ping pong tables and dog-friendly offices take a back seat to benefits that align with employees’ true well-being.
Modern workers are looking beyond office frills. Instead, they prioritize employers who embrace transparency, flexibility and place value on overall quality of life. As the findings show, two-thirds of those surveyed report being less likely to take a job without perks for their well-being.
A recent survey of 2,000 part- and full-time employed Americans, commissioned by Ladder and conducted by OnePoll, examined the workplace benefits employees want from their employer.
The survey looked into the workplace culture elements that employees prioritize when seeking a new job. Trust and transparency came out on top, with 74 percent of respondents agreeing that this was most important.
Beyond trust and transparency, the survey found that workers are seeking an employer who cares about their employees’ well-being (66 percent) and a workplace that allows for flexibility in hours (62 percent).
“Many employees today are looking beyond the superficial perks that once mesmerized us, instead seeing real, quality of life benefits from the organizations they choose to work for,” said Jeff Merkel, Ladder co-founder. “Modern employers recognize this shift and are building trust by providing flexible benefits that go beyond simply attracting employees – they’re aiming to address core, life needs.”
Americans are continuing to place more importance on health and well-being across all elements of their lives, including in the workplace. According to the study, a large percentage of people look for workplaces that provide wellness benefits such as health insurance (59 percent), life insurance (53 percent) and a free gym membership (43 percent), yet less than half report having them in their current job.
Only 41 percent of those surveyed currently have health insurance through their employer, 32 percent have life insurance and only 14 percent have a free gym membership.
One of the most interesting findings is that over half of respondents (51 percent) would be willing to take a pay cut to receive wellness benefits from their employer. On average, these respondents would take a 24 percent pay cut in order to have perks like health or life insurance.
Another insight uncovered is that less than half of respondents (41 percent) report fully understanding their current benefits, and 87 percent agreed that benefits should be made easier to understand when starting a new job.
These stats, combined with the larger emphasis on transparency, suggest that employees today are looking for workplace perks that add real value to their long-term goals, instead of flashy perks, for perks’ sake: They want to work for companies who are invested in supporting employees’ well-being and who make benefits easy to use and understand.
“We designed Ladder to reinvent the life insurance process and make it easier for consumers – introducing transparency and flexibility, while removing complexities and barriers to entry – so people can go on living a long, fulfilling life, knowing their loved ones are covered,” said Merkel. “While we focus specifically on reinventing life insurance, our company’s ethos spans far beyond that. We believe in taking care of people, full stop.”
TOP “WELLNESS” PERKS FOR AN IDEAL WORKPLACE
Health insurance
Life insurance
Free gym membership
Personal growth opportunities
Career development opportunities
Company covers cost of commute
Education subsidizing
Mental health services
Generous maternity/paternity leave
Legal service