Setting up an employee benefits programme
Christian Oberson, Chairman of HR Geneva and human resources consultant, reminds us of the main points to know.
1. Define your needs: by reviewing together the analysis carried out with employees and the challenges facing company's HR (building loyalty, attracting the younger generation, compliance with CSR etc.), the HR department will be able to devise a programme that is in line with employees' expectations and an incentive. “Employee benefits should not be the icing on the cake of HR policy but fully part of it," says Christian Oberson. He added: “Neither are they medicines, i.e. intended as a remedy for internal dysfunctions.”
2. Knowing how to communicate on the benefit provided: it is important to explain the reasons for implementing the benefit and what the employer will be requesting in return. For example, in exchange for the introduction of teleworking, employees will be asked to be more flexible, easily reachable, etc.
3. Ensuring fairness among employees: In addition to being useful, a benefits programme should be relevant to all employees. Even though some benefits may be more relevant to certain categories, it is important that everyone feels they have been taken into consideration.