It’s the time of year when employers are putting together new benefit packages and employees are electing benefits for the coming year. For the month of October, we polled people in our Wondering Wednesday series on LinkedIn to learn more about the benefits employees prioritize when considering potential employers. Employers, take note: some of these results may surprise you.

Mental Health Benefits

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to employers that mental health benefits are an important consideration. The 2023 American Psychological Association Work in America survey found that 92% of workers said it’s important to them to work for an organization that provides support for employee mental health, but 57% are unsatisfied with the mental health and well-being support offered by their employer. In other words: employers can do better.

There are many ways employers can support employee mental health, but our results show that workers prefer an allowance they can use as they choose rather than a limited selection of specific services (e.g., mindfulness apps, Employee Assistance Programs, online therapy). Wellness allowances or stipends allow employees to choose how to allocate monthly mental health funds provided by their employer; they may choose to use these funds for things such as the aforementioned mindfulness apps or online therapy, but their mental health may also benefit from gym memberships, wellness retreats, nutritionist visits, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and more.

Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility

As we found in last month’s Wondering Wednesday roundup, employees overwhelmingly prioritize flexibility over high-caliber benefit packages — and this month’s results again leave no room for doubt that having options makes employers attractive to workers.

In recent years, we’ve seen more businesses embracing the potential for a four-day workweek, whether it’s year-round or only over the summer. We’ve written before about the importance of flexible schedules in helping to mitigate employee burnout, which can have serious consequences such as clinical depression and heart disease. Shortened workweeks may not be feasible for all companies or positions, but they are definitely worth exploring for employers looking to increase employee retention and satisfaction. You may be surprised by the types of companies that have successfully integrated four-day workweeks for eligible positions, including well-known businesses like Microsoft and Lamborghini. 

Another option growing in popularity is sabbatical leave, an extended break from work that allows employees to focus on personal growth, study, or travel. Sabbatical leaves can be paid or unpaid and typically last from one month to one year, depending on the business or industry. Whether paid or unpaid, the guaranteed reinstatement at the end of the leave of absence makes sabbaticals an attractive benefit. Although once reserved for professors at universities, sabbaticals have become more common in a variety of industries from medicine to finance.

Fringe Benefits

Many employers are focused on unique fringe benefits such as pet insurance or legal services, but overwhelmingly, our survey found that what employees really want is assistance with managing their everyday responsibilities. If you’re looking for a perk that will set your company’s benefit package apart from others, consider offering your employees house-cleaning services.

One option for offering cleaning services is for employers to contract with a chosen cleaning agency to provide services at a flat rate and to give employees “cleaning credits” they can use with allocated funds for weekly to monthly cleaning services. Perks like this can increase employee satisfaction and engagement, in addition to being a powerful recruiting tool.

Pre-Tax Benefits

Finally, as most companies have found, when it comes to pre-tax benefits, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are the clear winner. Do employees still want Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)? Absolutely. But more than twice as many people prefer to put their pre-tax dollars toward a savings account not only aimed toward offsetting healthcare costs but also with funds that will roll over into the next year. The uncertainty of knowing how much to set aside for an FSA (which is typically a “use it or lose it” account) makes an HSA that much more appealing, and with workers now being advised to save close to $170,000 for medical expenses in retirement, an HSA starts to feel more like a necessity than a perk. Keep in mind, though, that employers need to offer, and employees need to elect, a high-deductible plan in order to be able to use an HSA.

Want to participate in the conversation or see the results for yourself? Head on over to the HR Solutions At Work LinkedIn page, where we post a new poll every Wednesday!

We recently started a series of weekly questions on our LinkedIn page called Wondering Wednesday. These questions take the form of anonymous polls to encourage honest participation and allow us to gain varied insights into the employee/employer experience.

For the month of September, we focused on the hiring process for both prospective candidates and hiring managers. No matter which side of the table you’re on, both interviewer and interviewee should factor these insights into your interviewing and hiring process.

The #1 Thing Job Candidates Should Avoid Doing

When we asked companies about red flags for them in the interviewing process, the overwhelming response was when a candidate has no questions. This was ranked higher even than a candidate being late to their own interview; it seems that tardiness is more forgivable than a lack of demonstrated interest. Job candidates should be sure to put a lot of thought and effort into coming up with good questions. Not sure where to start? Research the company you’re interviewing with and use that information as a starting point. You can tailor your questions accordingly to find out more about what their day-to-day work looks like, how the hiring manager sees your role fitting into that picture, what growth opportunities there might be, and so on. Make sure you have questions for each person you interview with, and customize your questions based on their role. Remember that you’re interviewing them while they’re interviewing you!

The #1 Thing Hiring Managers Should Avoid Doing

On the flip side, for job candidates, the biggest red flag is an interview process that takes 3+ hours. Such lengthy interviews can lead to a poor candidate experience in which they’re answering repetitive questions, growing fatigued, and investing a good chunk of time into a position they may not even land. Employers should therefore find ways to streamline the interview process and be thoughtful about how much time they’re taking up for the candidate. A good rule of thumb is that the length of an interview should be commensurate with the role being interviewed for – for example, an entry-level job should have a much shorter interview process than a VP-level job. To shorten the interview process, you could consider doing panel-style interviews, which allow you to include more people in the process while taking less time. 

The Best Way to Attract Job Candidates

When we asked candidates what they prioritized when considering job opportunities, they overwhelmingly chose flexibility over an excellent benefits package. This feels particularly relevant in today’s post-Covid landscape in which companies are pushing employees to return to working in the office. Employers should put careful thought into where and how they can add flexibility for their employees, not only  to attract but also to retain talent. Even if your employees return to the office, think about what could be a reasonable amount of flexibility within that framework to help set you apart from other employers. For example, if you require 2-3 days per week in the office, you can still provide  flexibility by allowing employees to shift their hours earlier or later or to choose which days of the week they go into the office.

The Win-Win

Finally, we found that the majority of companies that are actively hiring are notifying applicants within 1 week of application if they’re not a fit and will not be considered for an interview, but some companies are lagging behind or not notifying applicants at all. Hiring managers should ensure timely responses to applicants in order to allow candidates to focus their job-hunting efforts elsewhere. This means setting aside time to review applications right away, even if you haven’t had a chance yet to set up interviews with your top candidates. This can feel overwhelming – particularly for a job ad that receives hundreds of applications – but luckily, there are many hiring websites and software options that allow you to set up automated responses so that when you mark a candidate as not qualified, it will automatically notify them. Make sure you leverage existing tools that make your life as a hiring manager easier; it’s a time-saver for you, and it’s a relief for job applicants.

Want to participate in the conversation or see the results for yourself? Head on over to the HR Solutions At Work LinkedIn page, where we post a new poll every Wednesday!

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and with the promise of summer in the air, many of us are thinking about popsicles, beach vacations, and the smell of sunscreen. But while some are dreaming of a fun holiday, others are too burned out to even think that far ahead. Although we can’t eliminate all of the stressors that can lead to employee burnout (if only we could lower the cost of family care!), we’ve got you covered when it comes to workplace burnout.

Workplace burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupation-related syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress, characterized by feelings of exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy. A 2023 study by the American Psychological Association found that 57% of workers exhibited burnout symptoms, and a 2024 SHRM study found that 51% of workers are feeling “used up” or completely burned out at work. 

Burnout can have other negative consequences for the workplace. For example, overworked employees are three times more likely to look for another job and are less motivated at work, more likely to make mistakes, and more prone to anger and lashing out at teammates. What’s more, workers suffering from burnout have an increased risk of developing serious ailments from clinical depression to heart disease.

Sunny summer skies might help take the edge off, but they won’t fix employee burnout. Here are some strategies to avoid and mitigate burnout and maximize employee productivity. 

Assess Employee Engagement 

Workers are engaged at work when they feel a strong sense of belonging at their organization and have employers who listen to their feedback. Most notably, engaged employees are more than twice as likely to be happy and not burned out at work. One of the best tools for assessing engagement is periodic measurement through anonymous surveys, as well as follow-up meetings and focus groups. 

Using a third party helps reassure employees that their input is both confidential and unfiltered, which we highly recommend. (This is actually one of our specialties, and we’d love to help you with your particular organization’s needs!) Note that if you do ask employees for their input, you should be prepared to take action based on the feedback you receive – it can actually have a negative impact if you request feedback but then don’t follow through on what you learn.

Flexible or Seasonal Schedules

In the post-COVID workplace, employer flexibility regarding when, where, and how work is done has become an expectation rather than a perk. One idea appropriate to the season is offering employees “summer hours” options in June, July, and August. For example, organizations can allow employees to work an extra hour Monday through Thursday and end four hours early on Friday. Alternatively, organizations can allow employees to work an extra hour Monday through Friday as well as the following Monday through Thursday, then take the second Friday off entirely. Note that although Friday is the most common day offered, many workplaces allow their employees to choose which day of the week they prefer to take off.

Another option is to allow employees to work some longer days and some shorter days, or to increase their work-from-home days per week. This is a great option to consider year-round that will contribute to work/life balance.

Entire Organization Shutdown

Another way to give employees a break is to offer a “shutdown” once or twice a year. The most common week employers shut down is the week between Christmas and New Years, and many also select the week prior to Labor Day or the week of July Fourth. If your organization finds that most of your offices and cubicles are empty during a certain time of year, it might be more cost effective to have all employees take the time off, from the most senior member of the company to the most recent new hire. It can be a huge de-stresser and benefit to employees to have time off without having to worry about returning to a full inbox. 

We hope these ideas are helpful for employers looking for ways to prevent employee burnout! There are myriad small ways an organization can show its appreciation for workers – and a surprise ice cream party on a hot summer day is always a hit – but it’s the big gestures that really make an impact and help with more serious issues like burnout. If you’re interested in implementing one of these policies at your workplace but aren’t sure where to start, we can help!

What does your organization do to help with burnout? We’re always on the lookout for new ideas!

One of the services we provide to clients is conducting effective, thorough, and prompt investigations of workplace issues. We have investigated just about every issue arising under workplace policies, from bullying to FMLA retaliation to financial irregularities. One of the most common issues we investigate is workplace discrimination, which includes sexual harassment, harassment based on other protected characteristics, physical or verbal harassment, and more. And something we see employers getting wrong over and over is a fundamental rule best summed up as: If You Know, You Know.

In one recent investigation, we heard from an employer who said an employee asked HR if they could report potential workplace harassment “off the record.” In another, an employee told management about sexual conduct at work, but when the manager asked if she wanted to file a “formal complaint,” she declined.  

The mistake both companies made was not taking immediate action to look into the reported conduct. Some employers have the well-intentioned belief that discrimination or harassment is an individual issue that the employee should have control in handling, when in fact it is very firmly a workplace issue that the company needs to own and manage. If you, as the employer, ask things like, “Do you want to file a formal complaint?” you are putting the employee in control of the situation, which might feel like the courteous thing to do — but that can have serious consequences for the company.

First, there’s the potential for liability. If you know about an issue of potential discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, you can be liable for failing to take prompt, effective action to investigate the conduct and take steps to prevent it from happening again. You don’t have to take our word for it: MCAD’s Guidelines on Sexual Harassment, for example, specify that “an employer should always investigate a complaint of sexual harassment as soon as practicable, even if an employee asks that it not investigate his or her claim.” These guidelines apply to all forms of workplace discrimination or harassment: as soon as an employee in a supervisory capacity knows about it, they must report it. Full stop.

Second, regardless of what the employee says in response to being asked whether they want to file a “formal complaint,” they do want you to do something — that’s why they came to you in the first place! So why might they suddenly hesitate or back off? Many employees are fearful of retaliation, whether from the company, the alleged perpetrator, or even their coworkers, who they may fear would ostracize them if it got out that they complained. The employee needs reassurance that they did the right thing coming to you and — sorry if we sound like a broken record — that the company will handle it from here.

One exercise that may help is to try substituting another complaint of alleged misconduct and ask yourself if you’d handle it the same way. For example, if an employee came to you “off the record” and said they knew their manager was stealing money from the company, would you honor their request to keep this just between the two of you? Of course not. If someone reported to you that an employee wasn’t following appropriate quality control procedures and a product may now be toxic, would you ask if they wanted to file a “formal complaint” in order to look into this? Absolutely not. And it shouldn’t be any different for a complaint of workplace discrimination.

So what should you do?

• Thank the employee for bringing this to your attention.
• Assure them that the company takes it seriously.
• Reassure them that the company does not allow retaliation for bringing forward a complaint.
• Let them know that you’ll need to follow up, either personally or by directing this to the appropriate channels within the company.
• If they ask you to keep it confidential, tell them that you will keep this as confidential as possible but that, depending on what they tell you, the company may have an obligation to look into it. 

The bottom line is: whether you are an HR professional, senior executive, or employee manager, if you are made aware of any kind of potential discrimination or harassment happening in your workplace, it doesn’t matter whether that knowledge was obtained from a formal complaint or from a casual conversation. Once you know, you know — and you’re obligated to take action.

Are you still unsure if you need to report an incident? Or do you think you may have a workplace issue that needs investigation? Click here to shoot us an email — we’d love to chat.