Need to know:
- Benefits have evolved during the pandemic, with the initial care packages morphing into more structured benefits propositions. But what will we keep and what will fade away?
- For the employers that can offer it, flexible working is here to stay. The genie’s out the bottle and employers should realise that hybrid working is no longer a benefit, but a necessity.
- Wellbeing should remain a priority, but organisations will need to make a concerted effort to make sure that it stays at the top of the to-do list.
The original Covid-19 (Coronavirus) employee benefit is the package which turns up at your home, containing a mix of the following: a plant, a packet of tea, biscuits, a cake and a motivational fridge magnet. Not surprisingly, it left some employees underwhelmed.
As the pandemic went on, the care packages continued but many employers also enhanced other employee benefits. Wellbeing was the watchword. Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) went from a number in the HR directory to an invaluable resource, and people embraced virtual GPs.
What was the aim of these types of benefits when they were introduced? Obviously, it varied from employer to employer. Georgina Cameron, HR director of Lily’s Kitchen sums it up for many employers when she says: “For us, it is about being a supportive environment both professionally and informally and there’s a gratefulness as well, really. We are so thankful to everyone for pulling together.”
Now that we’re (hopefully) emerging from this strange time, HR directors are looking ahead to the future. What benefits will we keep from the pandemic, and which will be consigned to the memory bank, along with tiers and lockdowns?
Flexible working
Flexible or hybrid working is here to stay for desk workers. Pre-pandemic, employers might have seen it as a benefit and a retention tool. Now, giving people the option to work from home, for at least part of the week, has become a necessity for all but the most traditional of organisations.
As Iain Thomson, director of incentive and recognition at Sodexo Engage, says: “Most people have got used to having that flexibility and being able to enjoy the things that they like doing, like putting their kids to bed or taking them to school or nursery in the morning.”
Will it stay a given, or will we see a gradual creep back into the office? Thomson replies: “It'll be the employee that drives that. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all for organisations.”
Cameron adds: “Initially as we open the office doors again, we'll have quite a rush. Everybody wants to reconnect and collaborate a bit more and just have a change. But I expect that will even out, the novelty will wear off and we will find a mix between either two or three days in the office and vice versa from home.”
All this has implications for HR. “We are rethinking our frontline HR services to better suit our new way of working,” says Jenny Sawyer, director of people, culture and change at Stonewater. The housing association is not reverting to a traditional desk model. Following an employee survey which revealed that 89% wanted to continue working from home, Stonewater is facilitating this, encouraging its people to build networks based on locality of colleagues, not their function within the organisation.
Sawyer says: “Imagine you are in a smart hotel and the concierge would have a map and be directing you. The reimagined HR will be a concierge for the organisation but instead of directing you to the shops, they will be directing you to the benefits that are available. Equally they could be helping people to find out what’s in their local area and where they could drop in and work.”
The focus on health
Wellbeing has been a hot topic in benefits for the last decade. Initially, the focus was on physical wellbeing, with offerings like health MOTs in the workplace. In the past five years, mental health has become a big conversation in the workplace, with employers appointing mental health first aiders, for example. The pandemic made this movement even more pressing.
With anxiety, stress and burnout at the top of employers’ minds, many have been keen to support people’s mental health in the pandemic. Everyone Employee Benefits interviewed for this article highlighted the increase they have seen in the use of EAPs.
Thomson thinks EAPs will continue to be well-used after the pandemic: “Through Covid, more people have got used to asking for help, or advice and support. I have heard people talking really positively about their experience of EAPs as well.”
Free access to apps like Headspace and Calm are popular employee benefits, with Headspace reporting that 66% of employees are using the mental health solutions offered by employers in its 2021 Mental health trends report, conducted in February 2021. These sorts of benefits are especially useful for global employers that want to be consistent in their approach across different regions, notices Charles Alberts, head of wellbeing solutions UK at Aon.
Alberts adds: “Something I am observing is employers giving employees time off as a thank you for their hard work through Covid, also with a clear, well timed message around: ‘We care about your wellbeing, we care about your mental health, it is important for you to take time off.’”
This benefit has staying power, Alberts believes. “I am looking at organisations that are thinking about offering wellbeing days to their employees on a permanent basis. For example, during the pandemic last year, Thomson Reuters gave their employees the day off for world mental health day. They have since announced it will be an annual holiday for them. I know it’s just one day, but the message that that sends is incredibly positive.”
Physical health has also received a lot of attention in the pandemic. Simon Curtis, senior consultant at Premier, says: “When benefits have come in a lot of them have been health related, so things like virtual GP services and health cash plans.”
Views are mixed on whether virtual GPs will remain as popular, post-pandemic. While Curtis thinks they will be a permanent fixture, Thomson says that once in-person GPs stabilise, we’ll see a decline in their popularity: “People crave that interaction with a GP one to one. It isn't the same remotely or on the phone, I think it has a shelf life.”
Financial wellbeing
The pandemic has challenged many people’s financial security and employers have introduced various initiatives to help them through. “Financial guidance will stay around for a while,” says Thomson. “It’s a tough one, because [we] can’t pry and as an employer, it’s not necessarily [our] responsibility to manage [our] employees’ financial affairs. But if [we] can provide external, professional guidance on how best to manage money, or if [we] could open up a forum where [we] can provide some short-term manageable, financial support, that's a real benefit.”
Some organisations are finding creative ways to combine physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Stonewater has introduced a loan scheme where employees can apply to borrow up to £10,000 interest free to enable them to set up a home working space. “The loan could be £100 for some paint, or it could be to build a garden room,” says Jenny Sawyer.
Hampers
Most importantly, do doorstep hampers have a future? Thomson thinks so. “The surprise and delight which gifts bring will always have a place, for me, but it can be diluted if it doesn’t have a strong message behind it. This time last week, we sent all our employees a hamper, which they could tailor to meet their dietary needs. And then we encouraged teams, within the current guidelines, to meet outside and have a picnic. It was a way to reconnect.”
Lessons learned
Ultimately, will we take the best from the ways in which we’ve adapted to the pandemic? Alberts is concerned. “I am worried that through normal human nature, we will fall back into old habits all too quickly and forget what we have learnt through Covid; the various benefits it has brought to how we look at things and approach things and allow flexibility for employees.”
However, Alberts adds: “I am hoping there will be a greater awakening and understanding of how health impacts businesses and how it should be a strategic priority. But it is going to take effort to keep this high in people’s minds, to harness this as an opportunity to really elevate it as a strategic priority. Inevitably, we will face challenges and we want people to be in the best shape physically and mentally. This is a good opportunity for us, let’s not lose it.”
