Workplace perks are great when people spend enough time in the office to actually benefit from them. But how do you continue to reward your workforce now that such a significant portion is working from home on a full or part-time basis?
By Laura Ross
For Thomas.net
Image Credit: Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock.com
In recent years, top employers have competed to attract top talent by promising a wide range of workplace benefits. Employees have enjoyed free tea and coffee, beer-filled fridges, Friday night socials, on-site gyms, snack carts, sleep pods, games rooms, office slides, and heavily subsidized (or often free) cafeteria food.
But following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the shift to remote working, these once highly-valued office benefits became largely redundant. On the contrary, while employees have been saving money in certain areas, such as their daily commute, they may have noticed the cost of their household bills or weekly grocery store shop skyrocketing. That’s not to mention the additional home office equipment required to create a space in which they can work productively and comfortably.
Furthermore, a significant portion of remote workers reports working longer hours, experiencing increased levels of stress and isolation, and taking fewer days of vacation. Research has found that remote employees in the UK, Austria, Canada, and the U.S. are working for an additional 2.5 hours every day. If unaddressed, these additional expenses and frustrations could breed resentment among your hardest-working and most loyal employees.