Are your benefits easing employee stress and building company culture?

As organizations begin to think outside-of-the-box about benefits that help employees manage stress, employers will find that employees feel more comfortable at work. (Photo: Shuttesrtock)

In today’s hiring landscape, employers are moving beyond traditional health and retirement benefits to embrace unique incentives that attract top talent. In particular, employers are hyper-focused on unique benefits that attract the millennial generation, which has surpassed Generation X as the largest age group in the workforce. While most employers and HR professionals have likely read countless articles about empowering millennial employees in the workplace, it cannot be denied that this generation faces a much different work/life landscape than those that came before them.

Since traditional benefits no longer serve most of the workforce as they once did, continued conversation is necessary to identify new employer strategies, including the implementation of unusual benefits that address millennials’ specific needs and challenges. These include the flexibility to allow employees to work where and when they want, personalized wellness programs that incorporate gamification and recognition for goals met, mental health resources for employees and their families, sabbaticals that encourage personal growth and exploration, and more. Such examples not only meet the unique needs of millennial employees, but they also help organizations foster an authentic and empathetic workplace culture.