Offer more job benefits instead!

Wouldn’t this request from a staff member sound a bit out of the ordinary to you?

Turns out 4 out of 5 workers prefer employee benefits to a pay raise.

Why is the benefits package so crucial for your workers? What are the best benefits for employees and how to implement them successfully in your company?

Read this ultimate guide on the most valued employee benefits to find everything out.

Why Job Benefits and Perks Are Vital for Your Employee Happiness and Your Business 

Look at the following statistics to see how people treat additional job bonuses and non-salary compensations: 

• According to a GlassDoor survey, 57% of employees state that benefits and perks are their #1 priority when they make a decision on a job offer. 
• 69% of workers would feel more loyal to their employers if they had a wider benefits package. 
• Better work benefits increase job satisfaction, as emphasized by 72% of employees. 

By offering the best employee benefits, you make your staff feel happy. And it turns your business game for the better. Satisfied workers are typically 20% more productive than dissatisfied ones, while the happiness of salespeople can help boost sales by 37%. 

As you can see, your people are one of the keys to your operational excellence and company success. That’s why it’s worth implementing a people-first approach and giving your staff the greatest employee benefits. Consider the top five of them below. 

5 Best Employee Benefits to Make Your Staff Happier 

1. Healthcare Benefits 

The mental and physical well-being of your staff should be your predominant concern, as 86% of employees rate healthcare and wellness benefits as extremely important for their workforce. 91% of organizations have already started providing mental health coverage from 2022. 

Your company can offer various insurance types to your workers: dental insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, etc. Then there’s a broad range of wellness programs that people would like to have in their benefits packages: 

• Salon and spa visits 
• Fitness incentives 
• Massage and gym memberships 
• Yoga and meditation courses 
• Nutrition marathons 
• Vaccinations 
• Stress reduction and tobacco-free programs 
• Preventive health screening, etc. 

“During the past two years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of employers who provide sponsorships for senior living options: continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), residential care homes, memory care facilities, and so on,” observes Nancy Mitchell, Director of Nursing Care at Assisted Living Center. 

“In 2020, for example, we cooperated with 7 organizations who were interested in adding such healthcare benefits to their packages. In 2022 already, this number grew to 29.  Remarkably, companies make these benefits available to employees’ family members as well,” Nancy emphasizes. 

2. Flexible Schedule and Remote Work

According to 51% of employees, work-life balance is one of the highest priorities companies should focus on. That’s when flexibility comes into play. 

In fact, Logan Mallory, VP of Motivosity, states that “The 9-to-5 workday has been slowly replaced by adjustable schedules. Flexible working hours and opportunities to work remotely allow brands to boost employee engagement and motivation, improve retention, attract top talent, and more.” 

Many companies let everyone set their own working hours. After this implementation, the employees report a greater feeling of control and job satisfaction, an increase in productivity, and a better balance between life and work. And what’s more, they have cut expenses on commuting and have been taking fewer sick leaves since then. 

During the COVID-19 outbreak, some businesses were forced to move to the digital workplace entirely. Some of them remained in that work mode even post-pandemic and now run business 100% remotely. Others took a hybrid approach because that’s what their workers actually wanted to see among essential employee benefits. 

As many as 83% of workers prefer a hybrid work model nowadays, based on Accenture’s research. Still, employers often hesitate to switch to a hybrid work mode so as not to worsen the communication and interactions between teams. For this not to happen, they take advantage of automated solutions for remote workers to bridge the gap between an office-based system and a remote workspace and maintain the flow of projects. 

3. Paid and Unpaid Time-offs 

The following benefits are among the most valuable paid time-offs: 

• Vacation days 
• Jury duties 
• Voting time 
• Family and medical leave (FMLA) 
• Military leave 
• Adverse weather time-off 
• Compassionate (bereavement) leave 
• Sabbatical leave or personal time-off, etc. 

Personal time off (a paid mental-health day, for instance) may be a good idea if your worker faces burnout. In this case, you can help your employee stabilize one’s condition and enhance individual productivity. 

What about unpaid time-offs? 

“It’s highly advisable to create two lists of time-offs: paid and unpaid leaves,” says President of Business Loans, Andrew Gonzales. 

“The unpaid time-offs at our company mostly concern volunteer work and furloughs (involuntary leaves or temporary layoffs due to particular economic conditions). All other leaves are paid. Additionally, we have a shared leave policy so that our employees could donate their vacations and sick leaves to their teammates, whenever they feel it’s appropriate and necessary,” Andrew mentions. 

4. Financial Benefits 

To support your employees financially, consider the top three employee benefits and weave them into your financial plans: 

• Student loan repayment 

Commenting on this financial benefit, Jeff Zhou, CEO at Fig Loans, notes that “Employer-assisted student loan repayments have become an indispensable part of non-salary compensation packages. By addressing the burden that is laid on the shoulders of your workers, you can retain more educated and productive talents. Paying student loans on time will also positively impact their credit score and help them remain more financially stable. Importantly, under the CARES Act that has been extended until 2025, employers don’t have to pay income tax on up to $5,250 of student loan payments per employee annually.” 

• 401(k) retirement plan 

A 401(k) plan, as defined by The Annuity Expert, “is a retirement savings plan that allows employees to contribute a portion of their pre-tax income to the plan.” 

US employers have started applying changes to their 401(k) plans recently, new studies show, in order to increase worker retention and offer more secure retirement options. They want to let employees make contributions to the plan from bonus payments as well, not only from the salary. 

You can learn from Adobe, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and other companies with great retirement plans and do your best to prepare your employees for financial security in retirement. 

• Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) 

Nate Tsang, Founder & CEO of WallStreetZen, explains how it works: “ESPP is a company-run program when a staff member can buy shares of company stock at a reduced price. Typically, it’s between 10%–15% off the fair market value. Let’s take the fair market value of $20 per share on the applicable date. In case you offer a 10% discount, the price for your employee will be $18 per share.” 

PayPal, for example, offers the ESPP with a 15% discount for shares. The plan is open to everyone who works at least 20 hours per week for the company. 

5. Benefits for Professional and Personal Growth 

A whopping 94% of employees acknowledge they would work for an organization longer if it provided opportunities to develop their professional and personal skills for career advancements. 

“You should have a solid Learning and Development (L&D) program for your employees to grow both professionally and personally,” highlights George Tsagas, Owner & Founder of eMathZone. 

“At the start, 14 years ago, we concentrated on strictly math-related courses and certifications. Later, we refocused on the 360-degree approach to enable an all-round development of our colleagues,” George says. 

He also shares their company’s 360-degree view of L&D:  

• Paid courses and seminars on any preferred topic 
• Professional certifications 
• Internal and external mentorships 
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) programs 
• Cybersecurity training and online survival guides 
• Tuition reimbursement grants for both math and non-math university programs 

Another example of a great L&D approach is AT&T University created by AT&T, a provider of telecommunications, media, and tech services. It offers employee training programs focused on leadership and management particularly. 

Continued training can help you enhance team skills and work effectiveness if we talk about team productivity. To do that, Etsy, a global eCommerce company, launched Etsy School with workshops and educational modules for Etsy Teams to learn and develop together. 

How to Incorporate Employee Benefits Into Your HR Strategy 

Use the below tips to set up a competitive employee benefits package. 

• Partner with others 

Amazon’s Career Choice program is a bright illustration of such a partnership. The company collaborates with hundreds of education partners across the US to pay full college tuition for their workers. 

• Establish an extensive and unique benefits package 

Go beyond the basic incentives and offer some unique perks like, for instance, Hotjar does. Among other bonuses, the company grants each employee €2,500/year as a Home Office Budget, €2,400/year as a Working Space Budget, and €2,000/year as a Holiday Budget. Plus, their paid holiday leave consists of 40 days/year. 

Another great example is a “Perk of the Week” initiative by Gymshark, a fitness wear and accessories brand. 

Once you decide on the proper benefits, bonuses, and perks for your workers, make sure you enumerate all of them when you advertise a job to attract quality candidates and get the top talent on board. 

• Automate processes to the fullest 

Flawless employee benefits management can be easily achieved with an automated HR system. You can define your workers’ benefits automatically and ensure guidance for your employees throughout the process. Such a system can calculate employee benefits in an error-free way: health insurance, sick leave payments, vacation days, etc. 

It goes in line with payroll automation so that you don’t have to worry about absence time tracking and payroll management overall. 

Create a Happy Workplace with the Most Desirable Employee Benefits 

As a key takeaway from this article, let’s remind you of the five best employee benefits: 

1. Healthcare and wellness benefits 
2. Flexibility + remote work options 
3. Time offs 
4. Financial benefits (repayment of student loans, 401(k) plan, ESPP) 
5. Personal and professional development programs 

Show that you value your employees’ needs and desires, integrate the above benefits seamlessly into your business process flow, and foster a happy workplace. Start now with Comidor and see how it works in action. 

The post 5 Most Valued Employee Benefits That Your Business Should Offer to Unlock Employee Happiness & Retention appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

Employee Upskilling has proven to be a very effective talent improvement strategy for companies looking to scale and empower their workforce and bridge the skill gap. Any company interested in staying ahead of its competition must start by making its organization future-proof by investing in its people today through Upskilling.  

In general, many employers are already taking advantage of Upskilling programs to boost productivity at their organizations. A study showed that nearly 70% of companies invest in Upskilling to handle changes within their organization and increase the efficiency of their workforce. 

 In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Upskilling Employees – what it is, its importance, and steps that companies can take to upskill their employees. 

What is Upskilling of Employees?

Employee Upskilling is a process by which companies invest in their workforce by providing them with knowledge and skills that can help them advance their careers. Upskilling ensures that companies and their employees stay in tune with in-demand skills and improve their processes in line with current trends. 

As a company, Upskilling your employees is vital if you want to achieve your goals and stand out in the industry. Upskilling allows employees to enhance their capabilities, increase their efficiency, expand their skill set and provide better quality work to your company. It is a win-win for everyone! 

According to a survey, 80% of employees say Upskilling training has boosted their confidence. Better employee morale will ultimately translate into a better working environment and organizational success. Want to put your company on the desired path to greatness? Upskilling is the way to go! 

Difference Between Employee Upskilling and Reskilling 

Upskilling and Reskilling are essential concepts in enabling a company to stay competitive. Even though these terms have some similarities, they are fundamentally different. 

While Upskilling focuses on increasing an employee’s performance and knowledge in a current profession or field, reskilling aims to teach an employee new skills to perform a different job.  

Upskilling helps employees adapt to changing market conditions, enhances their value, and positions them for the future. When a company takes time to Upskill its employees, it makes them feel appreciated and valued. And this may be what is needed to get the best performance out of them. 

Reskilling allows employees to test new waters and try a different role in another department or company. Companies may employ reskilling when an employee’s specific skill set is not needed anymore. The employees are then taught the skills necessary to be relevant in a new role. 

By leveraging upskilling or reskilling, companies can focus on developing and retaining existing talent within and avoid the cost and stress of hiring someone from outside the company. 

The Importance of Upskilling Employees  

Upskilling has become increasingly relevant in recent years, and the reason isn’t far-fetched. Many companies are experiencing a digital skill gap. To solve this problem and prepare for the future, companies must embrace innovative strategies such as Upskilling. 

Here are a few reasons why companies should invest in upskilling:

It Boosts the Performance of Employees 

Want to get more out of your employees? Try Upskilling. Not only does upskilling upgrade employees according to the latest trends and developments in the markets, but it also enables them to perform their tasks easier, faster, and more efficiently. Better employee performance will ultimately translate into more success for your business. 

 It Saves Time and Money

Hiring new and qualified candidates in a company is a challenging process, especially while working remotely. Companies have to invest a lot of time, money, and effort into searching for candidates who have the required skills and share the same values with the company.   

According to a study, the average cost of a company trying to fill a vacancy is about $4000. That’s a whole lot of money! Upskilling gives companies a cost-effective alternative by allowing existing employees to learn skills that make them perform better in their current roles without needing a new hire. 

Bridging the Skill Gap

 Undeniably, there is a growing digital skills gap today. Companies now demand more from their employees to stay competitive and keep up with current innovations such as robotic process automation solutions, artificial intelligence, and other technologies.

According to Catherine Schwartz, Finance Editor at Crediful, “Digitalization has created a skill gap that will only continue to get wider with time. Companies now have the responsibility of identifying and narrowing this skill gap through the use of proven strategies such as upskilling.“ 

It is essential that employers first conduct a detailed analysis to understand where the skill gaps exist within the organization. After identifying the priority areas where development is needed, the company should focus on upskilling employees appropriately. Employee Upskilling is arguably the most effective method of bridging this skill gap. 

Greater Employee Retention

The majority of employees will only enjoy working in an organization that shows genuine concern about investing in their upskilling. A report showed that about 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invests in training them.

There is enough evidence to prove that upskilling can make employees more motivated, focused, dedicated, and loyal to a company that values them enough to invest in them, thereby boosting employee retention.  

Steps Involved in Upskilling Employees  

Now that we’ve seen how important upskilling can be in the success of a modern-day business, the next step is to look at the steps companies should take to upskill their employees. 

1. Evaluating the Workforce

The first step in upskilling is a detailed study of your workforce. You need to assess your team to find out where the gaps are. It is also good practice to survey your employees to find out specific aspects they feel they lack and would like to improve. 

It’s also possible for employees to desire to learn without knowing the areas that need to be worked on. So, you’ll be charged with helping them clarify their need for upskilling. 

2. Research the Latest Trends and Developments 

The next step is to do your research and deep digging. What skills are needed to stay ahead of the curve and relevant in the industry? Find out if your team is currently equipped for the present and the future. If not, how can you begin that journey that will always keep you a step ahead of your competition? 

 3. Implement the Plan 

Now for the most exciting part. How do you go about putting all your research into action? Is learning and development all that is needed? Do you take charge of the process? Or do you bring in experts? The answer to all the questions? Listen to your employees. 

Communicating and collaborating with your employees helps you know the best strategies for executing your plans and achieving the desired results. Even though you can implement some developments generally across the board, there are chances that different employees and departments will need unique training to develop improved skills. 

Remember to be flexible during this stage and customize your upskilling to the specific needs of every employee. Above all, avoid employing a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Conclusion 

Without a doubt, Employee Upskilling is the future of work! As digital technologies and innovation continue to grow, companies and their employees will need to embrace upskilling to stay relevant in today’s market and prepare for the future of work. 

The post Is Employee Upskilling the Future of Work? appeared first on Comidor Low-code Automation Platform.

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Managers have access only to their Personnel requests. The user can check only his applications.

Submit a new Request

1. Go to Packages > HR Automation > Employee Requests.
2. Then, click on the + icon to continue. Otherwise, you can add an Employee Request by pressing the quick add, on the right side of your screen.
3. In the form that opens, you should complete the following fields:
   • Title: This will be the request title
   • Basic Info, such as the type of request, which can be selected from the list.
   • If applied, Start and End Dates and Times of request can be added. The calculated duration of the request excludes that Region’s Public Holidays and non-working days.
   • Fill in a Description and click on Save or Save and New to save the new request. Alternatively, click Cancel to cancel the procedure.

Review Employee Requests

1. Go to Packages > HR Automation > Employee Requests.
2. There, you may see your own accepted, pending, or declined Requests and Requests that were added by Personnel that you are a Manager of.

Accept or Decline a Request

When a request is submitted, except viewing Requests through Employees Requests Unit, also a System-Notification appears to the Manager with info about who has requested a new request.

The Manager has the right to decide upon the employee’s request.

1. In the form that opens in the request Summary tab, you have to check the Basic Info of Application, focusing on the Type of it.
2. Then, below it, you can check the Scheduling of the Application. Focus on duration, for applications that refer to days. Finally, a Description of the Application may be there, too.
3. As a Manager, you can Approve or Reject the request from the green/red buttons on the top right. If Rejected, you may add a rejection reason, too.

You are not allowed to Delete Requests, except if you are a Data Manager User, or you have a Manager role or you have created that request.

When a request is being approved, or rejected, the user who submitted it, will receive a System-Notification, upon the decision and with info such as who has been decided upon it. Also, the process has been completed, too.

Edit a pending request

A User that has requested a request, users with Manager role or Data manager can see, edit or delete a pending employee request.

1. Enter the Pending request, you wish to edit from the list of requests.
2. Click on the Edit button to open the edit form.
3. Adjust information needed and then press either Save to save changes or Cancel to cancel the procedure.

Call Off an already approved request

A User that has requested a request can call off this already approved request. Data Managers and Managers can also call off an already approved request.

1. Enter the Approved employee Request, you wish to Call-off from the list of requests.
2. Click on the Cancel Request button that exists on the top right of the request entry.
3. A Notification will appear, confirming that the request has been canceled.

Delete a pending request

A User that has requested a request and any Data Manager User can see, edit or delete this request.

1. Enter the Pending request, you wish to delete from the list of
2. Click on the Delete button that exists on the top right of the request view. A confirmation box will appear.

Manage a request

1. Enter the request, you wish to manage from the list of requests.
2. In the Subprocesses tab create and monitor all subprocesses of this request.
3. Click on the Notifications tab to check System-Notification that has been sent to the Manager. You may check the sent date and time, whether the notification has been disabled and seen.
4. Click on the Related tasks tab to add a new Task on that request and monitor the status of all related tasks. Tasks can be added only in a pending request.
5. Click on the Attachments tab to add one or more attachments from your computer related to this request. You can preview, download, rename, and/or delete the attached files.
6. Click on the Actions button to open a list of actions.
   • The refresh button gives an instantly updated view of this request.
   • Click on Print whether you need to print this request. A new tab opens in the web browser. Click on Ctrl+P to Print, or in the Printer icon. (Changes may apply in different browsers)
   • Click on Link with in order to Link this request with any Comidor entity (another process, account, contact, project, opportunity, etc.). A pop-up window appears.
   • Click on Notify in order to Notify a person or group of people regarding this Application. Watch out to Notify someone that has access to this Application.
   • Create a Duplicate Application based on this one.
   • Click on Link to check the links that were added among Comidor entities
   • Click on Tags to add tags on a request that it may be private, group, internal or public.

Manage requests

1. Go to Packages > HR Automation > Employee Request. There, you may see your accepted, pending, or declined requests and requests that were added by Personnel you Manage.
2. Multi-check requests, so as to:
   1.  Link them with any other Comidor entity e.g. a Project, an Event, a Job Title, etc.
   2. Add Tags add a new Tag) on that request that it may be a private, group, internal or public.
   3. Click on the Actions button to Print or Export the current requests view.

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