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of U.S. employees, those caring for young children or elderly relatives have been particularly reluctant to work in positions that do not offer them the flexibility to tend to these important family obligations. The truth is that conventional employment models are simply not conducive to people with these types of responsibilities. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of caregivers, particularly young mothers, have chosen to leave the labor force entirely over the past two years rather than put up with unnecessary commutes, rigid schedules, and stingy leave policies. The past two years have proved that in-person employment and the conventional 40-hour workweek are not necessarily required to build high-performing teams, and companies worried about recruitment and retention have taken note.

The best way to satisfy this highly skilled demographic of workers is to offer holistic leave and flexibility policies that don’t make them choose between being good caretakers and good employees. Competitive companies are getting ahead of the curve by offering unlimited paid time off, build-your-own-schedule provisions, reduced hours for those with young children, and sabbaticals for tenured employees. Studies have found that being aggressive and experimental in this area is a great way to attract and retain talented workers who desire more agency in how they spend their days. For example, LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Talent Trends Report found that employees satisfied with their company’s time and location flexibility are 2.6 times as likely to report being happy and 2.1 times as likely to recommend their employer to others.

Scientific Approach to Benefits

Providing a solid benefits package is a great way to increase retention, boost recruitment efforts, and show employees they are valued. According to a 2018 study by Randstad, 42% of employees said they were considering leaving their current job because of inadequate benefits packages, while 55% had left jobs because they found better benefits or perks elsewhere. As an employer, it’s smart to know exactly what existing employees and potential hires want with regard to employee benefits. Because of this, data-driven benefits offerings are becoming more prevalent in the era of the great resignation, with internal employee surveys and external expertise being leveraged to improve offerings.

Conducting regular surveys is the most effective way to determine whether employees feel their wants and needs are being adequately addressed by current benefit offerings. In this regard, less can be more—consider adopting frequent pulse surveys with only a few questions rather than 20-page annual surveys. This sort of continuous employee listening strategy is excellent for measuring satisfaction and collecting feedback that can be addressed in real time. According to Qualtrics, this type of responsive action can make employees up to 12 times as likely to recommend their employer to others. By enacting a benefits strategy anchored in a scientific approach, employers can align offerings with larger business goals and maximize the impact of their benefits spend.

Personalization and Malleability

The U.S. workforce is currently home to five distinct generations working shoulder to shoulder. These different age cohorts have different needs, and it is difficult for a traditional benefits plan to give adequate attention and resources to everyone. This dynamic can push employees to decline offerings they personally do not want or need, which can effectively result in them forfeiting substantial monetary resources.

For example, a generous 401(k) matching scheme may not be as valuable to recent college graduates bogged down with student loans. Or a Gen X employee may choose to decline health care coverage because their spouse has a richer plan, resulting in the company spending much less on their benefits than for most other employees.

To combat this uneven distribution of benefits resources—and perhaps unintentionally ageist outcomes— employers may find it helpful to reconceptualize benefits as a malleable pool of resources that individual employees may allocate according to their specific needs. If a doctorateholding baby boomer is unlikely to take advantage of a company policy that reimburses the cost of higher education, let them reallocate those dollars to attend an industry conference that piques their interest. If an employee has a few more years of coverage under their parent’s health insurance plan but is struggling to afford veterinarian bills, allow them to take the cost of their unused health benefits and apply it to caring for their furry friend(s). This personalized approach to benefits can effectively foster more equitable outcomes, boost employee morale, and broadcast a positive corporate culture.

To learn more about these topics and others, visit NOW.AICCbox.org. You can also connect with AICC Director of Education and Leadership Taryn Pyle at tpyle@AICCbox.org or Education and Training Manager Chelsea May at cmay@AICCbox.org

Tom Weber is president of WeberSource LLC and is AICC’s folding carton and rigid box technical advisor. Contact Tom directly at asktom@AICCbox.org maserati michelangelo lamborghini

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