Also for the benefits, the times change. Along with mobile phones, computers, and corporate cars, new arrivals are coming and the new frontiers of the fringe benefits look to the psychophysical well-being, with an emphasis on anti-stress solutions and sustainability.
This is a trend revealed by a recent research by the Top Employers Institute (March 2017) which analysed the fringe benefits most adopted by the 79 companies Top Employers Italy 2017 certified and used by over 300,000 employees.
The figures related to the Italian situation tell about 76% of the companies are concerned with the psychophysical well-being, the stress and the workload of their employees through targeted questionnaires and specific questions included in periodic surveys.
Seventy-one percent proposes and implements a wide range of wellness programs with various options for the employee, ranging from fitness programs and gym membership, yoga classes, massages, nutrition counselling, and counselling session, alongside more traditional but highly appreciated supplemental health insurance policies.
Taking into account the most usable elements in the job market, 66% of companies offer and implement time management courses to learn to work more effectively and with less effort. Sixty-six percent also provides a business parking, and some other companies offer a bike sharing service for the home-workplace journey under a healthy and environmental sustainability consideration.
In addition, 59% of the companies not only grant, but also favour special permits for volunteering activities and 56% offer the possibility to take a year off for studying purposes, professional updating, parental care or even for a personal reflection break, to unwind and come back more motivated and proactive in the workplace.
«Fringe benefits play an increasingly competitive role in motivating those seeking or wanting to change job. The market has changed and the motivation for changing job is not just the economic one, but other factors play a role: the work environment, the career prospects, flexibility and – why not? – customized fringe benefits as well. That’s why the most innovative companies such as those Top Employers certified use them in an increasingly personalized way and as a tool to attract and retain talents», says Davide Banterla, the Italian Project Manager of Top Employers Institute.
A targeted and personalized approach that reflects the Top Employers philosophy, «to offer an optimal working environment that can promote a professional, personal and human growth, which results in a potential growth also at a business level», says David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute.
