Good employees are hard to find. Applicants are looking for more than money. The benefits you offer your employees have a lot to do with the level of talent you secure and your employee retention rates. So when putting together benefits to consider offering packages that make your company stand out from the crowd, these options may help.

Extended Health Benefits

Most companies offer some sort of medical insurance to their full-time employees, but you can take things a step further by adding additional services to the benefits to consider for employees.  For example, you could put together a plan to cover mental health issues for employees and their family members. Or you can work with a rehab facility, such as Reflections Recovery Centre to provide rehabilitative services if needed. Additionally, you might want to consider offering employees a Health Savings Account to help them save for medical expenses tax-free.

Fitness and Health Programs

It’s hard to make exercise a part of your daily routine when you work full time and have a household to manage. However, it is possible to stay fit while working at a desk, and as an employer, you have the ability to make it even easier. Consider implementing programs that reward employees for making healthy choices such as eating healthy, losing weight, exercising, and quitting smoking. You can also make adjustments to your office so employees are more motivated to get up and get moving. Consider installing standing desks for employees to use part of the day or purchase wireless headsets and encourage employees to walk while taking phone calls.

Flexible Work Schedules

If possible, you should consider allowing employees to remain as flexible as possible with their work schedules. This doesn’t mean you should let employees come and go as they please but, instead, give employees the option of leaving mid-day for appointments when needed and staying late to make up the time. You could even allow employees to schedule their own work times for the month as long as all of the shifts you need to fill are covered.

Telecommuting

As technology continues to advance, more and more companies are giving employees the opportunity to work from home which, when combined with offering a flexible work schedule, makes it a lot easier for employees to manage a healthy work/life balance. Of course, the happier your employees are, the longer they will stay loyal to your company.

More Vacation Time

Some of the benefits to consider for employees they value the most are the ones that promote a healthy work/life balance, and more vacation time is right up there with the option to work from home and flexible scheduling. Some companies, like Moz, even give their employees up to $3k per year to spend while they’re on vacation. Also, don’t lump your vacation time and sick days together and call it paid time off. Make sure you offer vacation time that’s separate from normal sick days.

Extended Medical and Family Leave

Most employees feel that paid medical and family leave is an important benefit to have, but if you’re trying to put together a benefits package that wows prospective employees, you want to make sure you include more than the typical month to six weeks of leave. Instead, consider offering four to six months paid time off for family and medical leave, including maternity/paternity leave.

Tuition Reimbursement

Many companies offer tuition reimbursement to their employees, but some take things a step further and offer tuition reimbursement plans for employees’ children as well. You could combine a partial tuition reimbursement plan with a college savings plan to help ensure your employees are prepared for their children’s future.

Ultimately, the type of benefits you offer your employees is completely up to you. But if you want to ensure you’re attracting top-notch applicants and retaining employees for as long as possible, you need to create a package that offers a bit more than the competition.

Anne started freelance writing and blogging in college while studying marketing and journalism and has since found something of a career writing about various business and professional topics around the internet. She’s experienced with both blog content and on-site copywriting, thanks for reading!