A
third of employers have either recently made changes to their staff benefits
and allowances packages or plan to do so in the next two years, according to
research by IRS Employment Review.
The
research, based on 95 responses from HR managers across the private and public
sectors, also reveals:
–
Two-thirds of employers have provisions for granting adoption leave
–
More than 90 per cent of employers provide paid leave to employees on the death
of a relative and/or close friend
–
More than three-fifths of employers make long-service awards, either in the
form of cash or a gift;
–
Just over a third of surveyed organisations operate standby arrangements for
those employees who make themselves available to return to work in an emergency
–
Almost two-thirds have call-out payments to compensate staff who are actually
called back to work
–
Despite a growing emphasis on work-life balance, only 13 per cent of
respondents provide their staff with childcare support
–
More than four-fifths of organisations allow their staff paid time off to
attend doctors’ and hospital appointments
–
Just under half of survey participants offer permanent health insurance to some
or all of their employees
IRS
Employment Review managing editor, Mark Crail, commented: "Employers are
becoming increasingly flexible with the variety of staff benefits and
allowances they offer, reflecting the changing patterns of work. While just 11 per cent of employers
currently offer their staff a menu of benefits from which they choose – trading
up or down to suit their individual needs – this is set to change. The ‘cafeteria-style’ benefits package is
likely to prove popular with staff – allowing them to reap the right and
relevant rewards for their efforts. With
growing concern about pension provision, it is highly likely that employees –
current and future – will be studying an organisation’s benefits package more
closely than ever before."
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