Why Companies Are Boosting Employee Perks
The employees who make your business work on a day to day basis are the backbone of your company and can make all the difference to the way your organisation is perceived in the world. Employers in Ireland are seeking out new and innovative ways to recruit the very best people and to keep them in their organisations, and this includes boosting employee perks to improve company culture and job satisfaction amongst their team.
A good reward and recognition programme can transform your company culture and here at Connect Promotions, we can help you to set up an engaging and innovative programme that will inspire and motivate your employees and prospective employees, increasing performance outcomes and employee loyalty. Initiatives such as this work well within a company that promotes a positive work life balance and employee benefits that can improve quality of life for your workforce. Read on to find out more about making your business more attractive to talented potential employees, and you’ll reap the benefits.
Flexible Working Hours Top the Bill
Businesses that offer flexible working arrangements and remote work options are streets ahead of their competitors who are still chained to the office-based 9-5. In the contemporary job market, flexible hours may not even be seen as a perk but as a basic requirement for many talented employees. Many employers find that offering more flexibility makes a big difference to employee retention and job satisfaction, so their organisation benefits a great deal from having a more adaptable system.
Companies that value their employees wellbeing are better able to attract talent and get the best from their teams. Flexible hours allow individuals to create a work life balance that suits them while they protect their family life and mental health from the impact of an all-consuming job. Skilled employees enjoy the benefits of managing their own hours, enabling them to exercise, attend appointments and care for their children around their work commitments and it has long been known that this increases productivity and employee loyalty as a working model.
Employee Benefits in Ireland
Going above and beyond the standard benefits available to all in Ireland reflects well on you as an employer. For instance, offering generous pension schemes and more than the statutory employee benefits ensures that you stand out and that good employees will be impressed by the benefits package you offer. You should consider elements such as paid sick leave and health insurance, and look at how these compare with statutory benefits. The benefits package you offer should include maternity and parental leave and consider access to public health services, and most forward thinking companies now make provision for mental health and wellness programs.
You might consider offering additional support around a child’s birth, for instance, allowing new parents to take extra paid leave or to spread leave over a longer period of time. Maternity leave is provided for in law, but many companies find that it is increasingly important to support their employees more comprehensively, and that this is a cost effective practice that ultimately results in better outcomes for their business.
Prioritise Health and Wellness
Businesses that go the extra mile to prioritise wellbeing add significant value to their workforce when they provide employee perks that really turn heads. Wellness programs that promote a better work life balance by offering employee discounts on wellness products and subsidised gym memberships are proving popular, and cycle to work schemes are a great example of this. A cycle to work scheme enables more people to get healthy and go green by offering grants towards the cost of bikes and installing safe storage options at the workplace, and this government scheme is proving very popular among Irish employees.
Offering continued professional development is a standard practice, but incorporating wellness into this will ensure that your business is highly valued by employees. CPD that includes tuition reimbursement and personal development options will support your employees in a more holistic manner, giving them the support and positive input they need to ensure that they continue to develop new skills. This goes beyond paid sick leave and statutory employee benefits and focuses on supporting well rounded development and career growth.
Reward & Recognition Programmes
Reward and recognition programmes are an excellent way to show your team that you value them and their input in your organisation, and tailoring these to your employees can make all the difference to your outcomes. Reward programmes often work to incentivise your team members, offering employee perks such as high quality promotional gifts or discount cards. These additional benefits are very appealing to many employees and can help them to feel better supported within their working environment. Here are our top tips for creating a reward programme that works:
1. Take suggestions from your team.
When you’re discussing effective employee perks, it is important to discuss this with the employees themselves. They are the experts, after all! Seek feedback from employees at every level of your organisation and find out exactly how they feel about incentives and effective rewards. You may find that developing a task force to represent employee voices is the best way to build a successful reward and recognition programme, as this can provide a way for all team members to be heard.
2. Make rewards relevant.
When developing a reward and recognition programme, you will need to make your rewards relevant to your business and to your employees. If your brand identity focuses on wellbeing, for instance, you can include this in every element of your reward programme, providing benefits that directly relate to health and wellness. As mentioned earlier, talking to your team is a vital step in creating a successful scheme and this will help to ensure that your rewards are relevant to them. If you have a lot of younger employees, you may consider promotional gifts that appeal to this demographic, perhaps options such as wireless technology products and eco friendly items, and the process of discussing this with your employees will increase their investment in the scheme.
3. Engage your employees.
An incentive programme will only work if your employees are invested in it, and having several levels of engagement is key. At Connect Promotions, we have an extensive range of promotional merchandise that varies from functional products that can be used on a daily basis, such as branded technology products like charging stations and power banks, to higher value items such as designer clothing and exclusive writing sets. Motivating your employees to strive for excellence can make a big difference to employee satisfaction and business outcomes, and we can help you to create a range of bespoke, personalised gifts that inspire enthusiasm.
4. Make it practical.
We know that practical promotional items lead the way in reward and recognition programmes, as they do for corporate giveaways. Building a programme that begins with swag boxes to welcome new employees to your workplace can create a culture of appreciation and commitment and products that are used daily are a great place to start. Practical gifts such as office supplies and essential technology items optimise your brand exposure and promote positive feeling about your organisation, and we can help you to tailor your offerings to your business. Financial benefits are always popular, and making sure that your reward scheme offers high value items and valuable discounts and offers, for instance, will provide employee benefits that are seen as an integral part of working life.
5. Make it fun.
When your employees feel positive about your reward programmes, they’ll feel positive about your business and our experienced team at Connect Promotions can work in partnership with you to develop a programme that works to boost employee morale and build healthy competition. Employees are encouraged to work towards their goals to create a fun and motivating element that is part of their employee benefits and contributes towards a culture of support and positivity. Incorporating a range of appealing promotional gift ideas enable you to develop a strategy that works on many levels and we can take the hassle out of the process for you.
Connect Promotions Can Take Care Of Your Employee Perks
At Connect Promotions, we know promotional marketing inside out and we can help you to identify how to get the best outcomes for your business. Strategic promotional product schemes can make a big difference to the success of your campaigns and to your employee engagement and we can work with you to source promotional products that complement your brand and support your organisation to grow.
We can work with you to develop a range of products for trade shows, swag boxes, corporate events and employee reward programmes, and we can source and deliver these to your workplace or your events worldwide. Simply call us on 021 4345980 or contact us online to talk to our professional team and we will take the stress out of your promotional marketing strategy.
