After the great resignation of 2022, business leaders worldwide are focused on improving employment benefits to retain their staff. This article shares 5 unique and cool employee benefits companies are offering to attract top talent globally and in Africa. Read on...you just might be inspired to adopt some.
The great resignation of 2022 had employers working extra hard to retain their top talent. This meant employees had an opportunity to check out what cool employee benefits they could scoop up in their current or next job.
Here are 5 unique employment benefits companies are offering to attract talent across the globe.
1. Mental health care
Globally, employers have prioritized mental health in 2022 and 2023; they realized that it is directly linked to employee productivity. As CEOs set stiffer targets to ensure upward growth, this can cause anxiety and stress for employees. Therefore, it is in the employer's best interest to support their staff in all aspects so they can deliver as expected. As an employer, you can make mental health care an employment benefit through the following:
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Hybrid and remote work models and office commutes
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Therapy sessions paid for by the employer
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Four-day work weeks
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Dedicated leave days to rejuvenate employees.
Disclosing a mental health disorder or sickness in the workplace is important for employees to receive the necessary support. Here is how you can check that your workplace is a safe space to disclose a mental health sickness or disorder.
2. Wellness and healthcare plans
In Africa, most government organizations offer healthcare plans, and local private companies continue to catch up as well. In 2023, more companies are seeing the importance of offering healthcare for their talent and their families. Healthcare is a major financial worry for staff, affecting productivity and, sometimes, work attendance. The extent of coverage of healthcare plans varies, but Healthcare Finance projects employers increasing healthcare benefits to offer better healthcare benefits to their talent.
There is also the added benefit of wellness packages for white-collar employees, including gym and diet plans to ensure better mental health, diets, and physical fitness. You can also apply these individual wellness tips to remain on point even as you work.
3. Financial wellness packages
One of the major talent retention strategies employers are implementing is monetary benefit packages. After the massive layoffs worldwide in 2022 and a projected recession in 2023, employers are reducing the stress of job loss by setting up retirement plans for their staff. Other ways to provide financial wellness are mandatory employer contributions to national employee security fund bodies, insurance, providing easier access to affordable loan packages, pension packages, and saving schemes, all set up by employers.
The expectation is that staff can receive this monetary benefit package in case of retrenchment, resignation, or at the end of their contract. Here are 6 ways you can also empower yourself by taking control of your finances, so you don’t panic in case of job loss.
4. Autonomous work projects
According to Fuzu’s HR expert, Nelly Mutula, “talent retention is not always about money, high performers are drawn in by a great challenge.” People are more interested in the impact they bring to their work; being part of an autonomous work project usually means engaging tasks and an efficient report structure. Top-performing staff with access to resources and leadership support as they work will value their roles more because they increase their visibility and impact within the company.
5. Career growth opportunities
Career growth opportunities in line with employees’ interests are significant employment benefits within the African job market to lock in talent. These 25 comparably large companies are prioritizing career growth through:
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Creating robust learning opportunities to obtain new knowledge
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Study opportunities financially covered by employers
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Mentorship programs that provide access to thought leaders in the industry
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Opportunities to join national and global professional fraternities
Alternatively, if your employer is not keen on your career growth, this article provides insight into what you can do about it.
Conclusion
Employers are getting creative to retain staff and also get higher productivity levels. With such trends, top leaders have an opportunity to reach their talent with great employment benefits and engage them so they can deliver great results. For anyone looking for work in 2023, times are getting better since there is more focus on mental health, financial wellness, and health care. Employees have less to worry about and are inspired to be more productive, creating groundbreaking impact in their work.
