Beyond Compliance: Five Innovative Benefits and Policies for Today's Workforce

Nov 3

On October 20, 2022, two and a half years after the Covid-19 pandemic came to the US in full force, the US Surgeon General released a Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being. This framework is in response to the heavy employee burnout rates that organizations across the country are experiencing. As the report reminded us, “In addition to the many impacts on the health and well-being of workers themselves, workplace well-being can affect productivity and organizational performance.”

The framework has five major components: protection from harm, connection & community, work-life harmony, mattering at work and opportunity for growth. Honestly, I don’t think that any one of these components is at all surprising to those of us who have spent our careers building and stewarding talent systems. If we want to have an impact in the world, we need to support our people in managing the daily stressors that affect their mental and physical health.

November, among other things, is the time for open-enrollment. This is typically the time we look through our benefits as employees and try to imagine what we will need for the coming year. It should also be the time that organizations start thinking about what they are going to do in the coming year to develop, augment and change the policies and benefits that will have the greatest impact for their people. It’s a time to reflect, plan and position the supports to maintain - and enhance - organizational health. And while the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t create the challenges of stress in the workplace, it certainly exacerbated those challenges for employees.

So, as employees are determining their benefits for this year, leaders should be examining this year’s process, and asking themselves how they can enhance next year to move towards even more progressive benefits and policies. Some of those policies and benefits will need significant resources, while others may not, but in all cases, they will take a clear commitment to engage in coming up with the strategies that matter most.

The best (and only) way to get started is to talk to your team members. What are the biggest challenges for them in the workplace? What are the benefits that would keep them at your organization? What gets in the way of their well-being? Answers to those questions may lead your organization down a number of different paths, but here are some innovations we are seeing out in the world that are worth thinking about.

Flexible leave policies: remember when Netflix came out with unlimited leave for their employees? It was fairly controversial. However, it has stood the test of time. At Netflix, staff are trusted to determine when it is time to rest and even when to return to work from parental leave.

Keep in Mind: this policy only works if managers truly trust their people and model taking leave. Without a clear leave policy, team members may be wary to take the time they need to recharge. However, if they see leaders modeling the usage of the policy, the organization can reap the benefits of their staff recharging.

Employee determined rewards and recognition: Instead of making blanket decisions for how staff will be rewarded for excellent performance (how to determine excellent performance is a topic for another blog), let staff members pick their rewards. That might mean Broadway tickets, a package for massages, gift cards, charitable donations made in their name. The list should be long enough so that staff can say what is meaningful to them.

Keep in Mind: All reward and recognition systems are at risk for bias, no matter how well-intentioned. Be sure to track your system closely and transparently to swiftly identify and mitigate inequities, just as you would with compensation.

4-day work weeks: For years, researchers have suggested that well-being and productivity goes up by shortening the workweek. As Forbes reported, when Formstack tried this they saw productivity increase by 13% and happiness by 14%. My friends at vChief started as a 4-day work week. Everyone is paid full time, but they work 4 days and it seems to be going pretty well. Some organizations start with no-meeting Fridays. If those are working, it may be time to take the next leap.

Make personal appreciation a daily practice: This morning, I sent out cards to the panelists from the last co-mmunity webinar. It was on my to-do list, so I sat down and started writing. It absolutely started my day feeling so grounded and connected. I imagine receiving these personal notes of appreciation will feel pretty good too. Imagine if everyone in your organization had dedicated time each morning to send off three simply thank you emails or notes? Nationwide made this idea a policy and saw a significant uptick in employee engagement.

Audit your policies and benefits: Check to make sure that your policies and benefits are intentionally inclusive. Do your policies support parents over non-parents? Do they support your LGBTQIA+ community? Do they rely on people knowing about the special loophole? Check out Edgility’s webinar on inclusive benefits for more.

I love that organizations are getting creative about supporting their people. Innovative organizations are attracting and retaining people at a disproportionate rate. They aren’t waiting for Surgeon General’s reports because they know that the next open enrollment is just around the corner.