Inclusion should play a vital role in forming your employee benefits package. Irrespective of age, background, identity or circumstance, your business can grow with an inclusive value proposition.
But why should your business pay such close attention? Well, recent studies from leading employment website Glassdoor suggests one in three decision-makers involved with the hiring process (recruiters, managers, and HR representatives) expect increased investment in a company’s diversity and inclusion efforts.
Employee benefits — though one of many key ingredients for a more inclusive work culture — provide significant personal value by catering to your team’s needs, wants and desires. This article explores three ways perks help your business take a more inclusive approach to employee management:
- They champion mental well-being and support employee wellness
- They accommodate changing attitudes and work requirements
- They provide a clear path to professional development
Here’s how your business can approach inclusivity with its benefits package.
Wellness. Your business always has a duty of care toward its employees, but in a post-pandemic world, it’s important to recognize this responsibility more frequently. Be it feelings of isolation or a sense of anxiety, the world puts enough pressure on people without work contributing to the problem as well.
Want to run a happy, successful team? Championing mental wellbeing initiatives, as well as responding to physical unwellness, will help your employees produce their best work more often. Here are some popular (and proven) wellness initiatives to consider:
- Free or subsidized gym memberships
- Additional annual leave allowance (wellness days)
- Meditation and mindfulness sessions
Help your team recharge and keep their mind clear in targeted ways that support the individual. Everybody responds differently to feelings of stress and anxiety — so you should keep a keen eye out for signs of exhaustion.
Attitudes and work requirements. Following a year of pandemic living, typical attitudes to work are changing. And it’s your responsibility, as a business owner focused on inclusivity, to accommodate the evolving needs of the workforce.
For example, remote working isn’t likely to disappear any time soon. The cat is out of the proverbial bag, meaning people realize they can be just as productive at home — depending on a reliable internet connection — as at a traditional office workspace.
This changing attitude, brought about through necessity over lockdown, provides extra flexibility that a return to the daily commute simply won’t allow. For many professionals, particularly new employees, such a move back to the status quo isn’t practical.
It’s important to accommodate a blended work environment for current staff members and new ones hoping to experience a seamless onboarding process. Why? Because it’s important to support these new needs post-pandemic by delivering office equipment into homes, providing the necessary communication software, and allowing flexible hours.
Professional development. A coaching culture that seeks to support and develop talent is an important inclusive benefit. After all, new candidates and young professionals are rarely the finished articles — so offering clear development opportunities makes your organization more appealing, both to graduates with limited experience and those who have traditional backgrounds.
By providing clear paths for professional development such as SMART goals, boot camps, and access to online learning courses, this helps your business accommodate the needs of all aspiring professionals, irrespective of economic or educational background.
Diversity of thought can help your business grow — so emphasizing training and professional development can help you create a more diverse school of thought at a leadership level.