Yahoo Finance 5 work perks Australians want most in 2019
These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to come across a job advertisement that doesn’t boast a fun company culture, work drinks on Fridays, discounts off gym memberships, and a fruit bowl refreshed daily.
And employers are realising how important it is to provide these workplace sweeteners, with new Seek research showing one in five (24 per cent) of Australians agree employee benefits play a major role in deciding where they want to work, according to Seek.
According to more than 2,000 Australians surveyed by Seek, these are the five top-ranked perks in reverse order that play a deciding factor on whether or not Aussies take the job:
5. Up-skilling support
“Offering subsidised education, training, or personal development courses closes out the list for the top five most appealing work perks for Australians,” said Seek.
With the global workforce rapidly changing thanks to new technologies automating processes, employees will have to focus on building skills that can’t be replicated by robots – such as problem-solving, creativity, and communication – in order to stay relevant.
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4. Health insurance
Employers that offer health insurance to employees signify they prize the wellbeing of their staff. On top of that, better health across the company leads to greater productivity, less sick leave taken, and less germs in the workplace.
3. Working from home
One of the most coveted workplace perks, the freedom, flexibility and convenience of working from home is an attractive benefit for employees that allows them to better balance life and work.
Research has also shown that working from home increases happiness, productivity, loyalty, and lower stress levels. It also reduces the cost and time of commuting, and companies who have employees that work from home full-time can save money on office equipment and space.
2. Time in lieu
“Getting time back for additional hours worked is the second most in-demand benefit that employers can offer,” said Seek. Time in lieu, common in highly-paid or stressful roles, means employees are rewarded for their overtime by getting time off another day rather than being compensated.
Time off may be preferred over more money in high-stress roles, and for those working to a salary, means they get something back for the overtime hours put in.
1. Flexible working hours
“The number one work perk that Australians want is the ability to choose their working hours,” Seek said.
Flexible hours means employees can work to a pace that suits them, which can lead to greater morale, engagement, productivity and greater levels of commitment to the company.
It’s also a great way of recruiting top talent to a company that can see less turnover of valued staff and show off the company as a family-friendly workplace.
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