The Top 7 Ways to Enhance Employee Experience and Retention

Pay Raises, Work Flexibility and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are No Longer Enough

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Philip Mandelbaum
08/13/2022

A closeup aerial view of a person in blue jeans, a white short-sleeved shirt and maroon sweater draped over their shoulders sits on a crosscheck-patterned picnic blanket in a field of brown grass, working remotely, typing on their laptop

Now it’s Monkeypox. Abortion rights. And Malcolm Gladwell declaring “it’s not in your best interest to work at home.” Oh, and racism remains rampant in policing, education, and the workplace. Are your employees uneasy? Have you even asked? Will your hybrid work environment continue to — well — work? And what about the benefits you offer? Will your COVID-era contributions suffice throughout the 2020s and beyond, as millenials and the remaining Gen-Xers seek equity and generational wealth? Maybe, maybe not, as The Great Resignation continues to collapse gimcrack companies and threaten the futures of even the most forward-thinking organizations.

As they say, “employee experience is the new customer experience.” And yet, in March 2022, 4.4-million US workers quit their jobs; three months later, they (and the rest of us) were faced with a new 40-year high for the consumer price index.

In response, smart employers are increasing salaries more than they have in the last decade and a half; of course, “‘show me the money’ isn’t the only thing employees are thinking.”

Plus, after a couple years adapting to — and proving the value of — work flexibility and diversity, equity and inclusion, it, too, is no longer enough.

So, what else are employees thinking?

The answers are in this list of the most important employee experience priorities, but the only way to know for sure what your employees and prospects most desire is to ask them.

“The reasons for staying [with an employer] are complex, and the answer is no longer just offering increased salary or flexibility,” says Jeanne Meister, founder of Future Workplace and executive VP of Executive Networks. Instead, “employers must regularly survey employees to understand the levers which can deliver the most value to various segments of workers.”

The side of an old red brick building with a huge white vertical rectangle, with black border and black lettering reading, in all caps, 'HOW ARE YOU, REALLY?'

The Employee Survey: Employee Experience and the Importance of Listening

Even the best HR strategy cannot overcome a lack of quality data. And employee data is about much more than numbers — hours worked, sick days used, words typed per minute. The most critical employee data isn’t even quantitative. To run a successful organization, you need to know how your employees — and prospects — feel, during recruitment, hiring and onboarding, and throughout their career. What’s most important isn’t which benefits or perks you provide, but that you listen to, respect and value your employees and reward hard work.

How’s this done? By listening, first, repeatedly, and methodically. So, instruct your HR director to lead their team in:

Conducting research on industry standards and competitors’ benefits offerings
Developing an employee survey using AskNicely, GetFeedback, LimeSurvey, Qualaroo, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey or Zoho Survey
Gamifying the exercise and offering incentives for completion
Promoting through your HR or internal comms team the importance of the survey to ‘their’ employee experience and future benefits
Disseminating and tracking the survey through your HR portal (see below)
Leveraging the survey data to ascertain what your employees most appreciate — and would most appreciate
Identifying creative incentives and other workplace solutions you could offer beyond the traditional benefits
Proposing your updated benefits package to senior management, including legal and finance
Researching and partnering with the best providers
Continually monitoring employee wellness, morale, engagement, efficiency and productivity, iterating and optimizing benefits and perks as necessary

Additionally, they can follow this advice, developed based on years of HR strategy experience and the latest industry trends.

Women of all ages protesting for abortion rights, with signs reading 'NEVER AGAIN,' 'TRUST WOMEN,' and 'ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE'

The 7 Most Important Employee Benefits (in Addition to Pay Increases, Work Flexibility, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

Take your cues from the megacorps or the fastest growing startups: if you don’t offer the right employee benefits and perks, you’ve got no shot.

1. Covered Abortion Services

Following the June 2022 Supreme Court vote to overturn the Court’s prior Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion, employees and employers scrambled to determine what would and wouldn’t be covered henceforth. Immediately, this became HR hot topic number one.

Levi Strauss, for instance, reported that its 15,000 employees are eligible for reimbursement of healthcare-related travel expenses for services not available in their home state, including those related to reproductive health and abortion. “As the pandemic has shown so clearly, public health issues are workplace issues,” read a company press release in May 2022. “Business leaders are responsible for protecting the health and wellbeing of our employees, and that includes protecting reproductive rights and abortion access.” More than half of Levi Strauss’s employees identify as women.

Big Tech companies like Amazon, Apple and Yelp, as well as Citigroup and Starbucks, also quickly announced they’d reimburse employees for travel expenses. In fact, according to a July 2022 International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plan study:

1 in 4 employers overall is exploring expanding their covered abortion services
Another 1 in 4 employers is considering expanding abortion coverage

Which, as HR Executive put it, “indicat[es] the number of employers looking to expand their services may jump considerably in the future.”

On the other hand, though, multiple reports have shown that at least half (if not a large majority) of HR leaders have not adjusted their healthcare plans to accommodate out-of-state medical procedures — and have not been vocal about their stance on the issue. One from May 2022 showed 60% of HR executives did not plan to offer any new healthcare benefits in response to the Court decision. A study the following month by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) found that more than half of businesses have not made a statement about Roe v. Wade, and only 15% intended to if the law were overturned.

This is shortsighted, to say the least, especially now with nationwide police brutality against protesting abortion rights activists and two thirds of American consumers now actively choosing to buy from brands whose values reflect their own.

As Gartner research principal Crystal Styron said, “What a trucking firm in Arkansas needs will look very different from what a startup in Silicon Valley needs.” Of course, the organizations that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion will act on behalf of all their female-identifying workers. Women, after all, make up only 8% of Fortune 500 CEOs and 20% of all C-suite roles — and without access to the health coverage they need, they’re not being included or treated equitably, are they?

No. So when developing your updated benefits package to ensure inclusion of female health-specific care, consider the following options:

Travel benefits, as part group health plan
Through an employee assistance program (EAP)
Reimbursements through account-based plans, such as health savings accounts (HSAs), health care flexible savings account (FSAs) or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs)
Reimbursements through taxable compensation
Contracts with third-party administrators
Contracts directly with a reproductive health services provider

Two women, one with a black shirt and the other with a white shirt, hold hands over a table, symbolizing mental health services

2. Mental and behavioral health care

Even before the COVID-era quarantines, job losses and deaths, the summer 2022 war in Ukraine and Uvalde school shooting, or the sudden stripping of abortion rights, the vast majority of workers (including about nine in 10 Gen-Zers and millennials) believed their employers should have a mental health policy, according to a survey commissioned by Zapier.

The pandemic had short- and long-term psychosocial and behavioral health implications, as have more recent national and world headlines. In November 2020, the National Center for Health Statistics found that 36.3% of adults admitted having anxiety disorder symptoms, up from only 8.2% the year before, and a more recent report from Mental Health America indicates that high rates of anxiety, as well as depression, are expected to continue or even worsen.

Fortunately, nine out of 10 employers are investing more in mental health benefits, and nine out of 10 told Business Group on Health that they’d be offering virtual counseling to all employees.

Starbucks, for instance, initiated a training program called Starbucks Mental Health Fundamentals for its employees and started offering free counseling sessions. Meanwhile, UK-based Perkbox, an holistic mental health platform, has helped thousands of businesses create a happy workplace, improve employee well-being, boost employee motivation and productivity and reduce employee absenteeism by supporting employees in life and at work.

Smart thinking, considering depression alone costs employers about $50 billion a year, while mental health programs can generate a return on investment of up to 1,000%!

3. Digital Health, Telehealth and Virtual Care

As Business Group on Health proclaimed in its 2021 report, “virtual care is here to stay.” Indeed, telehealth, or the delivery of health-care, health education and health information services via remote technologies, was already growing before the pandemic, but during the first quarter of 2020 it increased 50%; some doctor’s offices were even forced to close to better prepare for this new model of care delivery.

Employers, meanwhile, have been steadily expanding their use of telehealth for years, and the pandemic accelerated the pace. In a conversation with HealthLeaders, UnitedHealth Group’s chief medical officer Donna O'Shea reported 28-million telemedicine visits in 2021, representing a 2,500% increase from the pre-pandemic baseline. (In addition, virtual behavioral health appointments accounted for 63% of all behavioral health visits, up from barely more than 1% before COVID.)

Today, organizations like Citigroup and Bank of America are leveraging established telemedicine providers as well as offering access to local brick-and-mortar practices that were forced to switch to and later maintain their virtual offerings since the COVID outbreak.

Why? Because it makes for healthier, happier employees. And happier, healthier employees are more efficient, more productive, and more engaged — whether they’re working from home, the office, or both.

When you offer virtual care to your employees, they have 24/7 access to everything they need to stay informed about their health and can make virtual appointments with a variety of doctors and other providers at times that best suit their busy lives.

Plus, in addition to what has traditionally qualified as telemedicine or virtual care, employers are now also offering stipends to employees to invest in other forms of digital self-care. This can include apps for meditation, sleep tracking, meal planning, physical fitness, and even maternity. The annual fee for most mobile apps is relatively low, and some even offer bulk discounts to businesses, allowing HR departments to deliver significant ROI by demonstrating care for their employees at little financial cost.

Some of the most highly rated wellness apps include:

A closeup overhead view of a light-haired woman meditating on a yoga mat on a wood floor, made possible through the employee benefits package offered by her employer

4. Financial Wellness and Generational Wealth

It’s well known that the majority of workers live paycheck to paycheck, and approximately 40% of US households would struggle to cover a $400 emergency expense. Needless to say, this produces great financial stress — and financial stress causes a 34% increase in work absenteeism and tardiness.

Unfortunately, COVID left more workers financially stressed than ever, and skyrocketing inflation is making matters worse. Meanwhile, more than two thirds of all investors — and more than eight in 10 millennials and seven in 10 Gen-Xers — are focused on generational wealth.

To provide financial incentives and assistance, beyond salary and bonuses, offer:

Traditional benefits like life insurance, disability insurance, family and medical leave, and 401(k) retirement plans
Higher education investment plans for dependants, such as 529 plans
Payroll-deduction emergency savings accounts
Student loan debt contributions
Tuition fee reimbursements
Complimentary meetings with financial advisors
Workshops on topics like reducing debt, budget planning, or investing for retirement
Stipends for digital financial tools that provide on-demand financial advice or customized training and e-learning

5. Family Wellness

A simple concept designed to address an immediate and long-term need, family wellness means extending wellness benefits to employees’ families; offering financial assistance and other benefits to the entire family would not only demonstrate your commitment and appreciation to your workers, it might directly impact your workers’ physical and emotional health, as well as their productivity. As part of your family wellness program, you could offer access to:

Family health coaching
Family-friendly fitness classes, meditation, yoga or massage
Family-friendly events
Family challenges with prizes
Summer camp and afterschool program stipends

A young worker with a blue bandana, blue checkered long-sleeve shirt and brown pants takes advantage of his employer's family wellness plan, taking his wife (left, with dark yoga pants and an orange backpack) and small daughter (center, with a red raincoat) hiking through the mountainous woods

6. Learning & Development, and Upward Mobility

As LinkedIn explains in How Learning Programs Attract and Retain Top Talent, “to attract top talent, your organization needs to be a place where people advance their career. It needs to be a place where people are given opportunities to learn new skills and take on new challenges. And job candidates need to know about it.”

LinkedIn surveyed more than 10,500 recent job changers and found that lack of advancement opportunity was the number-one driver of job change — and this is particularly true of millennials, the fastest growing segment of the workforce

Likewise, 83% of respondents to a survey by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, said career advancement was “important” or “very important;” 78% said a clear career path would compel them to stay longer at their current organization, while only 20% reported being “very satisfied” with how their employers were managing their professional growth.

Take a look at your learning and development approach, and ask yourself:

When was our L&D strategy created?
Did our HR team survey our employees or make assumptions about what works?
When was our strategy last reviewed and updated?
What percentage of our employees have engaged in our corporate training program?
What have the results of these trainings told us about the skills and knowledge of our existing employees, the skills and knowledge gaps in our workforce, and the effectiveness of our program?
What gaps and opportunities have our managers and employees identified in our trainings?

Armed with the answers to these questions, you should know with certainty whether a new strategy is warranted; chances are, it is. Because unless you’re adhering to the principles of adaptive learning, you’re probably wasting everyone’s time.

So, what is adaptive learning? Adaptive learning is designed to:

Satisfy the need for providing continuing education anytime and anywhere
Improve learner engagement

In contrast to the typical one-size-fits-all approach, envision, for instance, an online continuing education course that adjusts to each of your employees’ unique skills, interests and learning styles. The employee who needs more context, extended explanation or additional practice receives it; the employee who doesn’t simply skips past. And the training lasts only as long as necessary for each individual.

Your adaptive learning system (see below) enables this by:

Analyzing performance in real time
Modifying teaching methods based on the data
Adapting to the learner

The goal, according to eLearning Industry, is always the same — “whether we use algorithms, nonlinear narrative (branching), personal info, clever interfaces, human intervention, or more likely a combination, to achieve it.” The result, according to Nick J. Howe, chief learning officer of Area9 Lyceum, a global leader in ‘micro’ adaptive learning technologies, is “effective and time-efficient pathways to mastery that are unique to every individual, while improving business-based outcomes.”

To incorporate adaptive learning at your organization, also consider:

Then, to ensure employees and job candidates know about the training and advancement opportunities within your organization:

Include stipends or paid time off for learning and development in your benefits package
Ensure your HR software includes adaptive learning capabilities or integrates with one of the aforementioned adaptive learning systems
Clearly define your commitment to learning and development in the careers section of your website, stating the mission and goals of your learning program and highlighting specific programs and technologies your employees have leveraged to enhance their skills and advance their careers
Explain in your job descriptions how a new hire can learn, grow and advance at your organization (or wherever they take their talents next)

Six young co-workers enjoy a corporate retreat, clinking glasses over a long picnic table full of food

7. Personalized Wellness and Tailored Benefits

As is true of digital marketing, personalization is everything. Survey your employees, conduct competitive research, develop your slate of offerings, and promote your most innovative, employee-centric benefits. Some examples include:

Student loan repayment programs
College tuition reimbursement
Pet insurance
Higher education investments (like 529 plans) for dependents
Self-care subscription services and fitness stipends
In-office massages and shoe shines
Meal plans and snacks
Laundry and dry-cleaning services
Travel stipends and car services
Concierge services
Household management and care for caregivers resources
Happy hours, half-days and mental health days
Workday and weekend team volunteering opportunities
Corporate retreats
Additional holidays like Election Day, Juneteenth and Superbowl Monday

Bonus: Kindness and Appreciation

In a gratitude survey of 2,000 Americans, 81% said they’d work harder for an appreciative boss; 70% said they’d feel better about themselves and their efforts if their boss thanked them more. So, sit with that for a while.

Optimizing Recruitment and Retention with HR Software

As complicated as this all may seem, you don’t need a benefits consulting company if you’ve hired (and trained) the right HR professionals. HR software, on the other hand, is nearly impossible to live without, particularly at larger companies. For your analytics dashboard alone, it’s worth it; but, HR teams have a massive, diverse set of responsibilities, with numerous stakeholders and even more KPIs.

So, unless you want to overwork the very people empowered to recruit new employees and ensure existing ones stay, I strongly recommend reviewing and testing out at least two of the following:

When demoing your HR software, look out for:

Streamlined user interface with simple navigation
Resource library with educational resources
Personalized messaging and prompts to alert HR professionals, managers and employees of new requirements — and to facilitate employee engagement
Adaptive learning (or at least customizable training) capabilities or integrations
Virtual assistant to help employees make benefits decisions without pulling HR leaders from strategic responsibilities