Innovative Employee Benefits to Help Attract More Veterans

By Joe Molina National Veterans Chamber of Commerce

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans notes that employers are getting creative by developing new benefits to keep employees happy and healthy and attract new talent. As baby boomers continue to retire, organizations need to recruit highly qualified people to fill vital roles.

Providing enhanced benefits can help an organization’s bottom line by creating goodwill within the workforce, which can result in better customer service and higher productivity. So here are a few popular incentive ideas, presented to you by The National Veterans Chamber.

Mentoring can be beneficial in helping entry-level employees learn their roles and develop their skills. Additionally, it assists long-term workers who are moving to new positions. The process encourages personal growth, builds strong leaders, and increases job satisfaction, enabling the organization to retain talent, cost-effectively manage knowledge transfer to new hires, and strengthen leadership within teams.

More companies have realized the benefits of helping employees pay for college. Employees have the chance to advance their careers, while employers can put that new knowledge to work for the business. By offering to help pay for college tuition, you’ll be showing your staff that professional development is important to your company, and you can engender a lot of good will and loyalty. Consider also promoting online colleges so your staff can more easily balance work and their personal lives when going back to school.

Today’s business environment has already embraced a remote workforce, so give employees as many remote work options as possible. This is very appealing to those who love to travel and want the freedom to work from anywhere. All they’ll need is a laptop, a cell phone, and a secure internet and/or satellite connection.

A growing number of organizations are offering onsite fitness classes as a benefit. As Corporate Wellness magazine points out, this supports the organization’s culture and encourages healthy lifestyles , reduces absenteeism due to illness, improves team communication and productivity, and builds company pride by giving employees a shared experience that brings people together.

Offering free healthy snacks in the break area can make employees happier. Healthy snacks are better for them than candy or microwaveable meals. The organization benefits because healthier workers take fewer sick days, require less medical insurance coverage, produce higher quality work, have decreased absenteeism rates, and have higher morale.

Employers are considering various ways to provide mental health support in the workplace. This can be a considerable asset in raising awareness, destigmatizing mental illness, and encouraging people from all walks of life to feel comfortable opening up about their conditions. Employees have access to an intellectually safe environment for sharing their challenges without fear of being judged or ridiculed, which leads to increased productivity and more substantial retention rates.

More employers are offering childcare support to help recruit and retain talented employees. This can be a strong differentiator when trying to compete with other companies. In today’s highly competitive job market, employees have many choices for employment and can be selective about which companies get their time and expertise.

Pets make humans happier and healthier. Studies show that spending time with furry friends increases morale, alleviates stress and anxiety, improves blood pressure and heart rate, speeds up recovery from illness or injury, reduces loneliness, and encourages physical activity. Organizations that offer pet-friendly office areas benefit because they demonstrate a willingness to accommodate a broad range of employee needs, build camaraderie among the workforce, and improve employee retention.

Many companies conduct an employee satisfaction survey each year to give employers the necessary information to implement changes and keep employees happy. These anonymous reviews are ideal for measuring how employees feel about specific programs and acquiring ideas for new incentives.

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 If you have any ideas or a project that you would like to Developed in collaboration with the National Veterans Chamber, send your ideas to: veteransccsd@gmail.com.