Reel in the Talent: Hot Employee Perks to Offer in 2017

The competition for talent in the job market is something to be taken seriously.  After going through the effort to hire highly skilled employees who are the right fit for the job and your company’s culture, it makes sense to do whatever you can to hold onto these employees and make sure they are satisfied in their jobs.  2017 is the year for attractive employee perks, and if your company isn’t offering a competitive benefits package yet, you should definitely consider doing so sooner rather than later.  Here are some of the hot employee perks expected to be popular among employers in 2017:

1)  Student Loan Repayment

Millennials make up about one-third of the workforce, and many of them carry the burden of college loan debt, as well as workers in previous and later generations.  Assistance with paying off college loan debt has become a huge factor many workers look for when job searching, and for this reason student loan repayment is among the hot employee perks many employers are expected to offer in 2017.  You can offer this benefit to employees in several different ways, including making contributions towards workers’ monthly student loan payments, or giving discounts to workers that choose to refinance their student loans.

2)  Telehealth

Technological advancements are to thank for this hot employee perk expected to be popular among employers in 2017.  Telehealth is an option included in some health insurance packages that allows employees to have phone or video consults with doctors, where patients can be given medical advice and even prescriptions if needed.  This is an exciting employee perk that will hopefully become more common in 2017, because if used correctly, it can save both the employer and employee money.  It also saves the employee time (and increase productivity at work since they won’t have to go to as many doctor’s appointments), and give employees easier access to quality healthcare.

3)  Health Wellness Programs

Along with health insurance benefits, another one of the hot employee perks more and more employers are expected to offer in 2017 are employee wellness programs.  As a matter of fact, Forbes.com reports that over two-thirds of U.S. employers already offer health wellness programs for employees.  Some of the services offered through these wellness programs include discounts on or free fitness classes, nicotine cessation programs, stress management and nutrition counseling.  If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon of this hot employee perk yet, it’s a good idea to look into how you can do so in 2017.  Healthy employees are happy employees.

4)  Financial Wellness Programs

Wellness goes beyond your physical health, as financial stress is likely to affect the work, day to day functioning and overall well-being of so many people.  While this hot employee perk hasn’t yet gained the level of popularity employee health wellness programs hold yet, it is expected to be offered by more employers in 2017.  You want your employees to feel financially secure so they can achieve their full potential on the job, and this hot employee perk allows you to offer them the financial counseling they need to resolve these issues and be happier and more productive.