Recruiting and retaining talented individuals is a challenge facing employers across every sector. While offering a competitive salary is important, it’s no longer enough to secure and keep the best people. Increasingly, job seekers and current employees are placing value on the overall experience a company offers, including its culture, flexibility, wellbeing support, and—crucially—the perks and benefits available.
Many organisations are now reviewing their approach to employee benefits to better meet the needs of a modern workforce. This isn’t about extravagant extras; it’s about recognising the full range of support people need to thrive both inside and outside of work.
This blog explores the evolving expectations of employees, how perks influence recruitment and retention, and what businesses can do to develop a meaningful and sustainable benefits package.
Why Employee Expectations Are Changing
In the past, many employees were happy to accept a basic package of salary, holiday allowance, and pension contributions. Today, the picture is very different. Workers now expect a more holistic approach to employment—one that considers their physical health, mental wellbeing, work-life balance, and even financial resilience.
Several factors have contributed to this shift:
- Remote and hybrid working: The pandemic forced many companies to rethink traditional working arrangements. Now, flexible working is a standard expectation rather than a niche offering.
- Cost of living pressures: With energy prices, rent, and groceries rising, employees are looking for support that can help make day-to-day life more affordable.
- Greater wellbeing awareness: There is now wider recognition of the impact that stress, burnout, and mental health issues have on productivity and retention.
As expectations evolve, companies that continue to rely solely on financial incentives risk losing out on top talent to those offering a more rounded experience.
The Role of Perks in Recruitment
When candidates are evaluating job opportunities, they’re looking beyond job titles and base salaries. A well-presented employee perks package can often tip the balance in a hiring decision—particularly when offers are otherwise similar.
Offering meaningful perks shows that a business understands the needs of its employees and is committed to supporting them. Some of the most attractive perks from a recruitment perspective include:
- Flexible or hybrid working options
- Enhanced parental leave
- Access to wellbeing services
- Discount schemes for travel, shopping, and dining
- Financial education and planning tools
- Paid volunteering days or community engagement programmes
Employers who make these offers visible on job listings or during the interview process are better able to demonstrate the culture and values of their organisation.
Retention: Building Loyalty from the Inside Out
Hiring is only half the battle—keeping good people is equally important. High turnover can lead to higher training expenses, disruptions, and a decline in morale. That’s why a strong retention strategy is essential, and employee perks play a central role in it.
Employee retention is higher when they believe their employer genuinely cares about their well-being. Benefits that support personal health, ease financial pressure, and offer everyday value are often more powerful than one-off pay rises.
Here are a few ways perks can help improve retention:
- Support during life changes: Benefits such as maternity coaching, bereavement support, or fertility treatment allowances can foster long-term loyalty.
- Recognition and reward schemes: Regular recognition through small rewards, thank-you vouchers, or service milestones can reinforce a positive workplace culture.
- Everyday savings: Helping staff save money on essentials or leisure activities can have a direct impact on their financial wellbeing and job satisfaction.
Retention isn’t just about grand gestures—it’s about consistency. Showing employees that you have their best interests at heart encourages them to invest their time, skills, and loyalty in return.
What Makes a Good Employee Benefits Package?
Not every business will offer the same perks, and that’s okay. What matters is relevance and value. A good benefits package is one that is thoughtfully tailored to the needs of the team, with enough flexibility to support a diverse range of employees.
Key qualities of an effective perks offering:
- Inclusive: Everyone should be able to benefit, regardless of age, family status, or personal circumstances.
- Flexible: Where possible, offer choices—such as picking between gym membership or childcare vouchers—so that individuals can get value from what matters most to them.
- Transparent: Make sure employees understand what’s available, how to access it, and how it supports them.
- Regularly reviewed: Employee needs change over time, so your offering should evolve too. Consider annual surveys or feedback sessions to keep things relevant.
Affordable Perks That Make an Impact
Not every business has the budget for private healthcare or lavish bonuses. Fortunately, many of the most valued perks are affordable to implement—especially when managed through a third-party provider or shared service platform.
Popular low-cost perks include:
- Discounts on supermarket and high street shopping
- Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) offering mental health support
- Flexible holiday purchasing schemes
- Free flu jabs or annual health screenings
- Learning and development stipends
- Remote working equipment grants
What matters most is not the cost of a benefit but its perceived value. If a perk makes an employee’s life easier or more enjoyable, it’s worth including.
Embedding Perks into Company Culture
One common mistake is to treat perks as add-ons, separate from the day-to-day culture of the business. In reality, perks and benefits should be fully integrated into the employee experience.
Make sure new hires are introduced to the benefits package during onboarding, and remind staff regularly of what’s available through internal newsletters or team briefings. Highlight real-life examples of how colleagues are using the perks—whether that’s saving on childcare, improving their mental health, or using training budgets to upskill.
When employee benefits are actively embedded in the way your company operates, they contribute far more to employee satisfaction and engagement.
A Long-Term Investment in People
Offering perks and benefits should not be viewed as a short-term tactic. It’s a long-term investment in your people. Over time, it builds trust, reinforces your values, and helps shape a culture that people are proud to be part of.
Crucially, employee perks are also a tool for fairness and equity. When benefits are designed to meet the needs of a wide and varied workforce, they can help level the playing field and create a more inclusive environment.
In a landscape where job-hopping is increasingly common, the businesses that invest in their people—consistently and thoughtfully—are the ones that will retain their talent, protect their reputation, and grow sustainably.
The right employee perks don’t just improve recruitment—they shape the entire employee experience. From supporting wellbeing to helping with everyday costs, meaningful benefits create a more resilient, motivated, and loyal workforce.
By taking the time to listen to what employees need, regularly reviewing your offering, and ensuring perks are easy to access, businesses can build a benefits package that truly delivers.
Whether your team is large or small, investing in employee perks is one of the most effective ways to show you value your people—and encourage them to stick around for the long term.
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