Attracting and retaining top talent seems like it has become a rat race to see who can offer the better perk in the hopes of gaining the best and brightest the workforce has to offer. However, companies aren’t just offering these benefits to gain employees; they’re also offering them to help their current staff, who may be suffering from burnout.
A recent Kronos survey revealed that employee burnout is responsible for up to half of businesses’ annual workforce turnover. The survey revealed that 10% of respondents blame employee burnout for causing more than 50% of workforce turnover each year. So what can companies, and HR, do to help combat burnout? NBC News recently showcased how numerous companies are trying to curb burnout.
For example, the PR firm Clyde Group offers:
- A maximum of 40 hours a week (which may not sound like a perk, but apparently it is for the company’s salaried workers);
- An unlimited budget for personal development (conferences, training courses, tutorials, and leadership training), plus unlimited time off to take part in these development activities;
- A $150 monthly stipend to pay for a gym membership or other activities; and
- And a mandatory 5-week sabbatical program and $5,000 stipend with the sole requirement being to “make [company leadership] jealous.”
According to NBC News, Alex Slater, CEO of Clyde Group, says, “staff turnover has reduced to zero, growth has surged, the caliber of recruits has heightened, and employees rate the culture as ‘excellent’ when surveyed. Plus, the firm was shortlisted for PRWeek’s 2017 Boutique Agency of the Year.”
Another company NBC News highlighted was Pittsburgh-based Content Factory, which allows its employees to work remotely, from any location in the world. According to one of the senior account executives at the company, “One coworker just returned from a trip to Paris and Morocco. [CEO] Kari DePhillips herself is currently ‘workationing’ from a new country each month this year along with a colleague, and has invited the staff to workation with her in places like Mexico and Puerto Rico when our Northeastern climes get too chilly and oppressive.”
And for employees who work at Bonanza—an e-commerce platform—instead of allowing full-time, remote work, the entire company (and employees’ families) physically moves to a tropical location during the month of February. NBC News reports, “All employees (plus their families) are invited to enjoy ‘Freedom February,’ and are provided a bonus that can be used for the workation. They are also allotted extra personal days in February to enjoy some time in the sun.” For the rest of the year, Bonanza does allow workers to work remotely every Wednesday, which sounds pretty lame in comparison, but it is definitely utilized and loved by all employees.
Allowing remote work is becoming an increasingly popular benefit, as well as unlimited vacation, but what happens if your employees aren’t utilizing the unlimited time off? According to NBC News, online marketer SteelHouse decided the best way to get employees to use their unlimited vacation time was to give them money for their vacations. SteelHouse offers its employees $2,000 annually to spend on vacations. If an employee doesn’t use the stipend, they lose the perk for that year.
TSheets is another company that offers money to its employees to take a vacation; however, there is a catch. TSheets employees receive $1,500 per year, but they must completely disconnect while they are on vacation: no calls, no e-mails, and they must be completely out of touch in order to get the bonus. For some, this may be a challenge, but for this author, I’ll gladly throw my phone in the ocean and by a new one when I return!
 Melissa Blazejak is a Senior Web Content Editor at BLR. She has written articles for HR.BLR.com and the HR Daily Advisor websites and is responsible for the day-to-day management of HR.BLR.com and HRLaws.com. She has been at BLR since 2014. She graduated with a BA of Science, specializing in Communication, from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2008. Most recently, she graduated in 2014 with a MS of Educational Technology. |