What Benefits Are of the Greatest Value to Employees & Organizations?
When a company is considering offering benefits to employees, it can be done in a manner that helps all parties involved. There are certain benefits that are not only valuable to the employee, but also to the organization. By offering these types of benefits, it is a win-win situation for the employee and the organization.
An employee who is unable to take time off from work has a great chance of experiencing burnout. The inability to take a break from work can also result in lower employee morale. When you combine employee burnout with low employee morale, decreased productivity is inevitable. This decreased productivity can be a devastating blow to an organization. In order to prevent employee burnout and low morale, an organization should allow the employees to take time off from work. This time off can be via paid or unpaid vacation time. When the employee returns from vacation, he will likely be refreshed and ready to produce.
An employee with no health insurance is very likely to miss work because of illness. An ill employee who is absent is a nonproductive employee. By providing an employee with health insurance options, the organization is taking a proactive approach. Health insurance allows the employee to visit the doctor when he is ill. Depending upon the health insurance policy, he can also go for wellness checkups to decrease his risk of future illnesses. Health insurance benefits the employee in that his medical needs are covered. The company benefits because of the fact that an insured employee is more likely to see a doctor regarding his health issues. The insured employee is less likely to miss time from work because of illness.
When a company offers ESOP (employee stock options and ownership) benefits, the employee is able to invest in company stock. This can benefit employees, especially when the stock is offered at a discounted rate. An employee who purchases company stock has a vested interest in the company's overall success. This is beneficial to the organization, since an employee with a vested interest is more likely to be productive and contribute to the overall success of the organization. The organization also benefits because of the fact that each share that is purchased helps increase company equity.
Every now and then an employee may have to deal with a mentally devastating experience at home or on the job. If the employee's mind is focuses on the devastation or crisis, he is less focused on his work. This can result is decreased productivity, which hurts the organization. By providing the employee with an employee assistance program, or EAP, he can receive crisis counseling from professional counselors. Under some employee assistance programs, the employee can also receive referrals to other agencies that can provide tangible assistance during a time of need.