PUSH Magazine
Rethinking Employee Benefits Reimagining flexible options is fast becoming the method to retaining the best talent. Employee benefits have been vital means used in the competitive marketplace for years. Benefits such as 401(k) plans, cell phone bill pay, or above average vacation time have been used as bargaining chips by employers to distinguish themselves to top talent. Skip ahead to our current situation, where so much about today’s workforce has radically changed. Organizations are nevertheless using employee benefits to entice and maintain employees, but now those benefits look quite different. The coronavirus has triggered years of change in just under a year. Understanding what current and potential employees want and need is crucial for orga-
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nizations of all sizes to efficiently use employee benefits as a competitive advantage during the pandemic talent war and beyond. The latest perks and benefits In the past, progressive organizations used benefit options such as above-average vacation time, flexible schedules, or even home offices. In our current environment, flexibility has become the most critical issue that each organization needs to accommodate to stay competitive. The workforce is coping with vastly different conditions and personal obstacles, which involve varying degrees of flexibility. For example, let us review the current school year. Employees with grade school-age children seek flexible schedules or work from home options, as kids are