Driven by COVID-19, health insurance is a top perk businesses are now promoting to attract talent.
A hearty 67% of businesses push health insurance as a tool to help hire employees. Recruiting and hiring qualified workers remains a major operating challenge for many companies.
Health insurance is followed by paid time off (50%), 401(K) matching (50%), and flexible work options (33%), a new survey from The Manifest shows. Those are among the leading benefits health professional are promoting today. And with many people still working from home as COVID-19 lingers, businesses should be
focusing on advocating benefits suitable to remote work, observers say.In this pandemic climate, job candidates are searching for full-time work stability and paying less attention to in-office perks like snacks, pet-friendliness, and gym memberships.
Clutch senior writer and marketer Kristen Heinhold told BLACK ENTERPRISE that healthcare is among the top benefits that businesses offer because employees value access to healthcare, especially during the pandemic. She says employees want to know they will be covered by insurance if they do become sick with COVID-19. “People realize how much money they’d lose if their company didn’t offer them a comprehensive health insurance package, Heinhold says. The Manifest is the sister site to Clutch, a ratings and review firm.
Heinhold says paid-time-off (PTO) is also an important benefit as people want to know they can take time off and still maintain job security if they do get sick. “Although many people are not traveling this year, they still value time off, even if it’s a staycation. It improves their mental health.”
Though 98% of businesses offer open positions online, it is essential they share accurate information about available jobs. The Manifest reports that is especially true during COVID-19 when many firms have a hiring freeze. When a job is closed, a business should remove it quickly from its website and job boards, so others do not squander time applying.
Simultaneously, another top survey finding is that 70% of people want to work for a company that shows a commitment to diversity and inclusion. That discovery surfaced after protests against systemic racism and George Floyd’s death, spurred discussions on workplace diversity.
While the law blocks businesses from discriminating against employees, job hunters prefer companies that take the extra step and demonstrate their dedication to a diverse workplace.
Still, businesses must show that their serious about the commitment by implementing it through such means as diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).
“The biggest issue I’ve seen is the misuse of DEIB in the recruitment process and it not being an actuality in the workplace,” talent development expert Jes Osrow told The Manifest. “Take that step of humility and say ‘We’re not perfect, but here’s what we’re doing to achieve true diversity at our company.”