{"id":12953,"date":"2019-04-10T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/emerging-benefits-employees-want-most\/"},"modified":"2022-10-11T04:07:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T08:07:19","slug":"emerging-benefits-employees-want-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/emerging-benefits-employees-want-most\/","title":{"rendered":"Emerging Benefits Employees Want Most"},"content":{"rendered":"

Companies keep coming up with time-saving benefits to help employees. Valet services, on-site dry cleaners, and concierge services are all well and good, but a new study suggests that employees don\u2019t want perks that\u00a0save <\/strong><\/em>time as much as they want their companies to just give<\/em> <\/strong>them more free time.<\/p>\n

MetLife recently released a study<\/a> of 2,600 full time U.S. workers, asking what emerging benefits those workers wanted most and 72% said unlimited paid time off (PTO). This was closely followed by wellness programs that reward healthy behavior, phased retirement programs, and paid sabbatical programs. The full rankings are below.<\/p>\n

#1. 72% Unlimited paid time off<\/p>\n

#2. 69% Wellness programs that reward healthy behavior<\/p>\n

#3. 68% Phased retirement program<\/p>\n

#4. 66% Paid sabbatical program<\/p>\n

#5. 61% On-site free\/subsidized services (e.g., meals, gym, dry cleaning)<\/p>\n

#6. 59% On-site health\/medical care (including mental health)<\/p>\n

#7. 54% The ability to work abroad or take work assignments in a foreign country<\/p>\n

#8. 44% Concierge program (e.g., assistance with booking reservations)<\/p>\n

#9. 38% Genetic testing<\/p>\n

#10. 33% Subsidized egg freezing<\/p>\n

#11. 32% Gender reassignment support\/subsidy<\/p>\n

\"MET<\/p>\n

Emerging benefits augment traditional benefits and bridge the gap between an employee\u2019s work and personal life. While some \u201cemerging benefits\u201d have been in existence for some time, others are new, such as genetic testing, subsidized egg freezing, and gender reassignment support.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, this list of preferred benefits was consistent across age demographics. Among Gen Z workers, 73% said they would be attracted to unlimited PTO. Eighty percent of millennials, 70% of Gen Xers, and 63% of baby boomers agreed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just employees that can gain from emerging benefits. Those offerings can help companies too. Employees said they would be interested in working with companies that offered emerging benefits, indicating that these benefits could increase hiring and retention. Furthermore, employees said that these opportunities would make them more loyal to the company and would help them do their jobs better, leading to greater productivity and engagement.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Is Unlimited PTO Possible?<\/h3>\n

Organizations like Workday, GitHub, Kronos, and Netflix are just some of the companies that have instituted an unlimited PTO policy. But before rushing into add this new benefit, the policy has to be considered carefully, asking questions such as:<\/p>\n