1) Invest in employee training

There are obvious advantages to up-skilling your staff. Better knowledge of the job builds both their confidence and their abilities. The knock-on effect is a workforce that operates more efficiently and effectively.

Surprisingly, however, the type of learning opportunities you offer don’t matter so much as the fact they’re available in the first place. Showing you care about their professional development can be a huge morale boost to employees, ensuring they feel part of a supportive work environment where they are appreciated. And just a break from regular, day-to-day tasks to focus on their future can be a welcome work benefit in itself.

To that end, it’s worth scheduling in regular meetings with staff to discuss professional development plans and possible career progression. This could help you pinpoint areas where they’ll benefit from additional training. What form this may take is quite flexible and could include anything from shadowing a more senior member of staff to periodic study days at home, networking outings to sitting exams for externally-recognised qualifications.

2) Encourage staff to stay healthy

A healthy workforce is generally a more productive one, and you should certainly benefit from lower absenteeism. According to Health and Safety Executive figures, in 2016/17 some 12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression, and anxiety. Even staff who do drag themselves in when sick are unlikely to perform as well as their fitter colleagues.

We mentioned private health insurance in our introduction, but offering health-based work benefits doesn’t have to be along such rigid lines. Free gym membership or signing up to a cycle-to-work scheme are other obvious perks, but it can play just as well to employees to give them flexible start times in the morning to encourage commuting by bike or walking. Encouraging exercise full stop is what counts, in whatever form. See how staff mood and focus improves as a consequence.

Of course, a healthy lifestyle extends well beyond the treadmill. When it comes to mental health, for example, encourage a culture where it’s not taboo to talk about depression or other psychological illness. Offering free or subsidised nutritional snacks is another great way to promote good health at work, or consider substituting crisps and chocolate bars in vending machines for something less calorific. You could also explore ways to support staff who want to quit smoking.

At the very least, you can make sure workers are taking short, regular breaks throughout the day. Eating ‘al desko’ can be consigned to the dustbin in favour of encouraging workers to take a walk during their lunch break. Employees who feel chained to their office chairs the whole time are less likely to be productive and motivated.

3) Offer birthdays off

One of the greatest presents you can give your staff is a day they can be non-present. Give them licence to enjoy their birthday guilt-free, recharge, have fun, and come back the next day more focused and fulfilled as a result. Simple.

4) Be flexible with hours and working arrangements

We touched upon this earlier when we suggested later start times for cyclists to avoid the rush-hour traffic, but there are countless other reasons why it might be politic to offer flexible hours among your work benefits. Letting your staff work around rigid school drop-off and collection times, for example, could greatly reduce the stress of juggling lifts with friends and family members. Overall they’re likely to feel immeasurably happier (and consequently more productive) by being more in control of their schedule.

Other workers who might benefit from flexitime are those whose natural rhythms simply aren’t cut out for the prescriptive 9-5 culture. Early risers and night owls alike might put in better work performances if their preferred sleep cycles are factored into the equation. Your staff will gravitate to the work hours where they feel most alert and creative, which can only be a good thing for your business.

Of course, not all companies have the luxury of accommodating staff requests to start after lunch, for example, but allowing at least an hour or two of flexibility can help your employees feel their needs are being taken into consideration and become more motivated as a result

The same applies to remote working. Pandemic restrictions have made it far more mainstream and taken much of the stigma out of working from home. In the process, some people have found the arrangement suits them much better than being in the office. If you agree their productivity hasn’t been affected as a result, consider letting this carry on longer-term where requested. Not only will you benefit from lower overheads if your staff are working remotely, but happier employees too.

5) Look out for workers’ financial wellbeing

Love or loath the term, ‘financial wellbeing’ seems to be on everyone’s lips at the moment. And with good reason, when it comes to work implications. That’s because a recent American survey of more than 1,300 people found that a third of them worry about finances at work several times a week (if not every day). How does this affect businesses? Well, nearly half (47%) of respondents admitted spending an hour or more per month on their personal finances at work, while almost as many (43%) pointed out they’re less productive because of their financial fretting. Other knock-on effects can include higher short-term and long-term absences, loss of talent, and a higher turnover of staff generally.

Here in the UK some organisations have tried to quantify what this means for employers. The Centre for Mental Health, for example, claims the overall cost to British employers of stress, anxiety and depression amounts to £1,035 per employee per year. Meanwhile Barclays, in their report Financial Well-being: The Last Taboo in the Workplace, suggested that poor financial wellbeing was costing companies 4% of their payroll.

So it makes sense for employers to do all they can to alleviate this pressure. We’re not suggesting a blanket pay rise or big bonus, but putting some financial wellbeing strategies in place can be a great worker benefit. There are a number of ways this can be done, from discount vouchers or retirement planning seminars to employee assistance programmes and general financial advice.

WorkLoan was set up to give employers opportunities to provide support for staff with personal financial issues. It offers salary advances when employees need a one-off helping hand (to cover an unexpected bill, for example), but also shares useful saving tips and other money management suggestions. Employees can also access a free budget report to make the process a little easier. And as a responsible lender, WorkLoan only authorises salary advances that it knows the employee can realistically afford to repay.

Services like this can help promote a culture where it’s ok to talk about money concerns at work, and make it easier to direct worried staff to other sources of advice and help. Ultimately the goal is to get rid of financial distractions at work full-stop, and focus instead on feeling happy and valued in the job, with all the enhanced performance benefits that brings.