Whether or not you are a believer in Blue Monday, there’s no doubt that we’re in a time of year when employees are often at their most disgruntled. The days are short, holidays are behind us, light is limited and the impetus for change that comes with the start of a new year drives many people to feel that a new job might be a good place to start. Unsurprisingly, resignation rates for office workers frequently increase in the first quarter of the year.
We know that pay and flexibility are the two factors that employees prize most when they think about employment, but not every organisation is in a position to make significant changes in these areas. Are there other measures that employers can put in place to persuade their teams to stay put?
The answer is a clear “yes”. We recently carried out a study that showed that a quarter of employees value expanded perks – such as free office meals, personal meal vouchers and discounts – when making employment decisions. The research also showed that employers can use perks to soften the blow of obliging staff to return to work in the office.
The research was carried out on behalf of Uber for Business by Stride Rides. It looked into employees’ attitudes to their workplace and measured how these were affected by the offer of perks.
Food is always a good place to start. Who doesn’t appreciate a free meal? But our survey showed that not everyone is keen on their employer’s choice of catering provider. 85% of the people we surveyed said that their office lunches are provided via an external caterer, but almost half (47%) also said that they would like to be able to choose where their food came from. There’s a lot of scope for employers to stand out in this area: offering food at all is unusual as only 9% of employers currently provide in-office lunches, but it’s also possible to provide choice. Meal vouchers that employees can redeem with a variety of food vendors is an excellent way for organisations to do both.
When it comes to attracting people back into the office – a move which has not been overwhelmingly welcomed by employees – our survey provided some specific examples of other perks that could help. 43% of respondents said that generally expanded perks would encourage them to return to the office, and 38% said that help with their commute would make a difference. Factors such as a ride home after working late or at weekends can make a big difference to the perception of the journey in and out of the office.
- While free meals and taxi rides home are never going to outweigh a massive payrise, a good perks package can be a significant differentiator for an employer. The January blues are real, many people are under significant stress and it’s understandable that a new job may seem to be the answer. If you can apply well thought-through benefits to demonstrate to your team that they are valued, it’s a lot more likely that they will feel loyal in return. And if you are on the hunt for new talent, it could be your perks package that makes your organisation stand out.
