5 ways beyond pay to support employees as they return to the workplace
Encourage even the most reluctant employees to return to the workplace with these non-monetary compensation ideas.
Whether people are fully or partially returning to the workplace, company leaders and people managers are challenged to create a safe workplace that supports employees’ job performance and personal wellbeing.
Employees who have become accustomed to remote work may find the transition back to the physical office especially difficult. Using these top tips can help leaders motivate and encourage even the most hesitant employees to embrace their return.
1. Provide a flexible workplace
If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s that there’s more to life than work. Now, employees are looking for more than just money from their employers: nearly everyone wants flexibility.
Globally, the EY survey found that nine in 10 employees want flexibility in where and when they work. Nearly half (40%) would consider leaving their job post-pandemic if their employer did not afford some form of flexibility in where they worked. Considering a hybrid work model doesn’t require additional compensation and checks the box on “where” people work.
2. Abolish the 9 to 5
During lockdowns, many people re-evaluated their lives and defined new priorities, whether it was pursuing a long-forgotten passion or vowing never to miss another family dinner.
A flexible work schedule allow employees to work outside the conventional nine-to-five Monday to Friday workweek and create their own schedule to suit their needs. As long as productivity remains high and the output of work is consistently strong, this could be an attractive benefit for many employees.
3. Offer additional support to employees
If you’re looking to create a truly flexible work environment, consider providing benefits that support your employees, such as day care subsidies, transportation bursaries, cost of living bonuses and or shortened workweeks as some companies have done. These benefits will improve the culture across the entire organization, improving employee satisfaction and productivity to ultimately make your employees happier, more productive units of value within the company. Increased worker satisfaction will also lead to better customer experiences.
4. Reevaluate your sick leave policy
In pre-pandemic times, going into the office coughing and sneezing, box of tissues in hand, was a sign of bravery and loyalty. Now, the message is: if you’re sick, stay home. That gets complicated for hybrid and remote workers. Someone who is sick might still be able to do some work from home, while others might have to work from home while tending to a sick child, raising questions about what constitutes a sick day or leave.
Consider reevaluating your sick day and paid leave policies to account for the new work environment and your employees’ work/life circumstances.
5. Modernize your health benefits plan
In addition, look at your benefits plan to see if more support can be added in light of people’s current struggles. For example, many organizations have introduced or increased coverage for mental health services, physical activities (such as gym memberships or yoga classes) and feminine healthcare. Another important thing to ensure is the physical safety of your workers/employees in the workplace. If any employee gets injured while working, the employer should be responsible and considerate enough to provide adequate support to the employee by compensating and giving him the required time off to attend all the medical appointments, receive treatment and recover.
Putting People First
Ultimately, people are at the core of every successful business, and providing a supportive workplace makes all the difference.
At Liquid Capital, we’re dedicated to helping our clients with their financial needs, but we also care about their people. We’re business owners, too, so we understand the importance of employee happiness and wellbeing.
