4 Must-Have Benefits To Offer Your Remote Workers
For many industries, remote work is the way of the future. Though the shift towards working from home was forced upon many by the pandemic, remote working opportunities continue to proliferate and change the landscape of corporate work despite public health conditions returning to a steadier state. Data projections reveal that 25% of all jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022, and that 97.6% of employees would like to work remotely, even if only on a hybrid model, for the rest of their careers.
Knowing this, it’s important for employers to think about how they cater to their remote workers. While an employee’s job description isn’t likely to change depending on the location they work from, the dynamics of a remote work experience creates new opportunities for employers to better serve their teams. In that light, here are a few of the best ways your organization can support your remote workforce and keep them happily employed with your business.
1. Remote work allowances
Not all remote employees have it equal when it comes to their work station: while some have well-furnished home offices, others have far from a functional workspace at home. There are so many potential needs an employee could have, like getting faster internet service, better lighting, or an ergonomic desk chair, that have a real impact on their productivity. Without access to these items, your employees may have a hard time getting quality work done for your business at home.
That’s why offering a home office allowance to each remote employee can make such a difference. It shows that your organization is interested in helping them create a comfortable, personalized workspace that suits their needs. When they’re not distracted by a less-than work environment, they’ll be able to focus more and deliver better quality work.
A remote work allowance also may not exclusively be spent on goods and services for one’s home office. Working from home means that employees spend the bulk of their lives in one place, creating a very different day-to-day dynamic for them than they would experience if they were commuting to an office. If you have employees who don’t live close to your office, note that they may want to spend some of their allowance on time at co-working spaces. If employees have access to one where they live, having the option to go without any personal cost to them can break up long periods of time at home and help them maximize their focus when they’ve got lots to do.
2. Emergency savings programs
The statistics are staggering: your employees are concerned about their emergency savings. According to a study by Banknote, over 58% of those surveyed were uncomfortable about the amount of emergency savings they currently have put away due to increases in the cost of living and rising inflation in 2022. This should come as no surprise - employees have had to spend more on their basic needs, meaning they inevitably have less money to put away for emergencies (and may even need to pull from their savings to stay afloat).
That’s why offering your employees (remote or otherwise) an emergency savings program is so important. Even the best-intentioned employees are having a harder time saving in their emergency funds this year and can benefit greatly from having extra financial support from their employer. This isn’t to say other goals like retirement aren’t important, but employees need to feel financially secure in the present before they can really turn their attention towards saving for the end of their working lives.
QUBER’s emergency savings plans help employees build their short-term savings and develop the habit of consistent saving. Employees move money from their personal bank accounts to their QUBER Vault, a secure account just out of their immediate reach. As they save, their employer matches a portion of what the employee contributes. When employees need to access their savings to cover an emergency, they can cash out part or all of what they’ve saved and receive it penalty-free in their bank account within a couple business days. This allows employers the chance to support their employees as they save and create an opportunity for their employees to improve their financial habits on a long-term basis.
3. Flexible working hours
Living and working from home creates a number of benefits for employees, most notably the ability to manage one’s personal responsibilities more effectively. Remote workers can watch their pets during the day, get their laundry done, run quick errands over lunch and more because of the flexibility their organization offers.
In the same light, remote work can also present new work-life balance challenges for employees. If your work computer is only a few steps away from you at all times, it can be tough to genuinely sign off for the day. According to MetLife, 7 out of 10 employees stated at the start of the pandemic that they struggle to manage the demands that come with a more flexible, “always on” work world. This kind of uncertainty about what’s expected of them can affect an employee’s sense of balance and can contribute to burnout over time.
To help address this, it’s important to offer your remote employees a degree of autonomy in how they schedule their workday. This allows employees to complete their work at times it suits them best, helping them manage their personal responsibilities and focus on their work when they know they’ll be most productive mentally.
But, also be mindful not to contact remote employees outside of standard business hours unless it's absolutely necessary. Sending remote workers messages after their end-of-day or over the weekend might create a sense of unnecessary urgency in them to get online and get it done, even if that’s not your expectation. Keeping communications within the work day will help them fully enjoy their personal time and stay on track when it is time to work.
4. Health and wellness benefits
Health and wellness benefits are one of the most sought-after benefits by employees today. According to research by SHRM, 88% of employees would give heavy consideration to taking a lower-paying job with strong health benefits over a higher-paying job without. Plus, the nature of office work means that most remote workers are sitting at a desk all day long instead of staying physically active. Counteracting the negative effects of having a sedentary job means remote employees need to be even more conscious of eating well, exercising and more.
Even if your organization is small to medium-sized and doesn’t have the budget to offer your employees full-on health insurance, there’s still a wide variety of health-related employee benefits that can be provided instead. You can opt for a health allowance for each employee, allowing them to spend on whatever wellness-related purchases they consider to be most valuable, or you can offer coverage on specific health-related programs like gym memberships.
Don’t forget to include access to programs that are geared towards supporting employees’ mental health. 83% of American employees have admitted to having work-related stress, which may be further exacerbated by financial stresses created by economic pressure this year. Mental health issues, like regular stress, can quickly lead to physical health problems and can lead to lower productivity and increased absenteeism. By offering your employees access to services like therapy and other similar resources (even if you can’t cover the full cost), you can contribute to them leading fuller, happier lives and becoming better employees for your organization.