With so many organisations moving to a remote workforce, it’s time for companies across the globe to revise their employee policies and benefits programmes.
Industry leaders like Zappos and Pinterest have already implemented some great benefits. So, if you want to follow in their footsteps and offer your team some much-needed rewards after a tough year, continue reading below to discover 12 incredible perks for remote employees.
1. Flexibility
If your company didn’t offer much flexibility before, now is the time to be more generous. Some employees work better during the early hours, while others thrive in the evening. So, if the work allows for it, let people set their own working schedule that gives them the flexibility to run personal errands, too.
For example, parents may need to look after their children, so they will have a different schedule for people who don’t have the same family responsibilities. This is something that Visa values and offers additional flexibility to carers or parents who can’t meet their regular contractual agreements.
2. Work-from-home stipends
Companies including Google, Shopify and Twitter are already offering this important benefit to their employees. Wanting to ensure they are comfortable and have everything they need at home, they are giving employees an allowance so that they can pay for workplace tools, accessories and WiFi.
So, if you want to make your employees’ lives a little more comfortable, why not gift them money for ergonomic chairs, home desks or any other accessories that they may need to create a comfortable home office space.
3. Virtual events
If in-person training sessions are out of the question, why not set up a series of virtual events? You can still hold a successful team-building event virtually with online games and activities.
Besides training, you can host virtual coffee hours where employees can take the time to call each other and catch up about life without worrying about looming deadlines hanging over their heads or the fact that they haven’t clocked in enough hours for the day.
4. Herb-gardening kits
This idea was first implemented by Zappos to promote mental health during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown. They sent employees kits to build their own garden and created an online community for their green-fingered employees, and even gave them the platform to discuss their gardening interests with colleagues.
So, if most of your staff share an interest in gardening, considering implementing this low-cost benefit, too.
5. Financial aid
If your company has the allowance, why not offer a small financial aid to your staff? This could be in the form of a voucher, a tax-free credit or a bonus for their hard work and dedication.
Some companies set targets and offer this perk as a reward for their hard efforts. While other companies like Ally Financial give $1,200 in tax-free financial aid to any employee that makes less than $100,000 in annual base compensation.
6. Goodie deliveries
Another simple but effective perk is some form of goodie delivery to your staff’s houses. This could be something like a monthly breakfast or lunch delivery, a personalised hamper full of their favourite treats, a self-care basket, or anything else that’s relatable to your business.
Some other ideas involve celebrations for particular days; for example, on International Women’s Day, you could send all your female staff a goodie bag full of toiletries. Or for Halloween, you can have delicious treats delivered to everyone’s doorstep.
7. Virtual happy hours
Who said that happy hours have to end when staff aren’t working from the office? You can still continue your Thursday or Friday celebrations from the comfort and safety of your home.
To make it even more exciting, you can select a theme of drinks for the evening; for example, you all might have to attempt in making an espresso martini or another cocktail and rate everyone’s presentation.
8. Wellness leave
With an increased rate in anxiety and other mental health issues among people working from home, with a reported rate of 49% of remote workers struggling with wellness issues according to a 2019 report by Buffer, it’s more important than ever before to offer dedicated wellness employees.
You can give your staff one to five days off every year, for example, without requiring a doctor’s certificate or further explanation. If you’re worried about work productivity, meanwhile, you can set a limit of how many employees per department can use this leave on the same day.
9. Birthday day off
With people spending an increased amount of time in the same building, it’s important to help them get outdoors and change their scenery once a while. Allowing each staff member to have their birthday off will give them a much-needed break from their screen and will make them feel extra special on their big day. In addition, you can send a bottle of bubbly or a birthday cake to their house along with a card from the management team.
10. Online volunteer opportunities
Volunteering is a great way for others to give something back to the community and forget about their own worries for a while, but it’s something that not many full-time workers get to do because of the lack of time that they have.
So, if you want to help a good cause, let people take one to three days a year to volunteer for a cause that’s close to their heart. If they don’t want to do this in person, there are now plenty of great online volunteering opportunities that aren’t restricted to time.
11. Monthly subscriptions
Gym memberships were one of the top-rated company perks of the last decade, but they’ve slowly been replaced by other types of subscriptions such as health and fitness apps, meditation apps, and other wellness outlets.
But besides health apps, why not offer a cool subscription that everyone will enjoy like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime? Your staff will thank you and rave on about it for years to come!
12. Branded items
This option is necessary now that your employees don’t have access to the office stationery cupboard. Without the luxury of topping up on notebooks, pens and other desk accessories, the cost of purchasing them yourself can rack up.
So, don’t give your staff additional bills, and instead send them monthly packages filled with branded goodies. You can even have comfy sweats made and start a smart social media campaign with a branded hashtag to go with it! The more your employees love you, the more consumers will start to pay attention.
With a little imagination and dedication, you can easily transform your business and build a great remote company culture. Our increased use of technology makes up for the lack of human interaction that many remote workers may face. So, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries and make your own rules up when it comes to rewarding your staff! You know them better than anyone else!
But for now, hopefully, a few of these ideas will aid some great inspiration!
What company perks will you be implementing? Join in on the conversation below to let us know your thoughts!