The perks your remote workers will love
The perks your remote workers will love
BoomPop Team · 3/7/2022
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You’re in a meeting with a fantastic candidate. They’re everything you want in a new hire; they’re clearly excited about your company, and they’d be filling a high-demand position that you’ve struggled to hire for.
“What are your perks for remote workers?” they ask.
This could be the difference between your new hire accepting your offer and turning to someone else.
Do your perks stand out from the competition? Here are 8 popular perks for remote employees that can help give you an edge:
1. Go virtual with your health care benefits
Since COVID, telehealth has finally gone mainstream. Care providers like One Medical and Ginger make it super easy to get help via chat or video from the comfort of home, and both offer company-wide benefits. Does your insurer make easy virtual doctors’ visits available? What are its mental health benefits, and are they accessible in the areas your employees live and work?
Another idea is to work directly with a mental health provider who can serve the needs of your workforce directly. A therapist in Texas tells us that some companies hire her for “office hours” therapy - she is available for virtual sessions for any employee during certain hours every week. All conversations are private and protected.
2. Upgrade their tech
They’ll need a good laptop, of course. But what else? How can you help them make virtual work feel as good as (or better than!) in-person work? Crystal clear video and good sound will help. Noise-canceling headphones, ring lights, extra monitors, and standing desks are all options we’ve seen remote teams request. Start by surveying your team to see what they need and go from there.
3. Improve their workspace
Companies have been investing tons of money in fun office spaces for decades. It’s time to bring that to the home office. Give a stipend for home office improvements, up to a capped amount. You’ll be amazed at the creative things people do to make their workspace feel both functional and special.
4. Help them stay active
It’s a fact -- moving your body makes you more productive. Provide a stipend or reimburse costs for gym memberships, workout and meditation apps, home workout equipment and anything else that keeps your people energized.
5. Make their lives easier
We’ve heard of companies covering a set amount of Taskrabbit tasks per month for each employee, which can be used for anything—professional, personal, kid-related, dinner pickup, et cetera.
6. Improve your PTO policy
Some companies reimburse employees for a certain amount of vacation expenses every year. Some may require that employees take a certain minimum amount —and stay off email while they do it. When your workforce is entirely remote, making sure your employees have restful, renewing vacations without needing to work is key.
7. Provide childcare benefits
One of the biggest takeaways from COVID? Working parents need a lot more support. Many companies host childcare services on-site; a remote team should be no different, and childcare may be even more important to success for remote workers. Consider a reimbursement for childcare costs or cover the costs of using services like Kinside or Care.com.
8. Create a virtual water cooler
Where do your team members get a chance to talk to each other about non-work topics? How do employee working groups collaborate and show results? How do employees get to know each other, beyond the daily status meeting? Fun virtual events and designated channels for talking about non-work topics create a way to connect on a new level.
When done well, we believe that remote work creates stronger teams and happier people. Making sure your perks actually enhance remote work is an important step in attracting and retaining awesome remote employees. All of these ideas lead to a healthier, fun, and inclusive work culture.
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