- Key insight: Discover how prioritizing classic benefits outperforms flashy perks for long-term retention.
- Expert quote: Practical, time-focused benefits signal genuine employer commitment — Eric Carrell,
Dofollow.com - Supporting data: Only 17% of global employees strongly agree their company invests in highly-coveted skills development.
Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
Trendy employee perks like decked-out break rooms and meditation apps are nice,
Instead, consider investing more into benefits that became popular decades ago — like compressed workweeks and
"Free snacks, ping-pong tables and wellness apps don't actually address problems," says Carrell. "The benefits from 20 years ago that held up weren't flashy. They were practical. They gave people time, stability and a genuine sense that the company had a long-term interest in them."
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In fact, offering them now may be even more helpful for recruitment, engagement and retention. For example, only 17% of global employees strongly agree that their company is investing in skills development, but
"These benefits feel different in 2026 because the context around them has changed so dramatically: When on-site child care or sabbaticals were first introduced, they were considered generous extras. Now, they're responses to real structural problems, unmanageable child care costs, widespread burnout and a workforce asking whether the trade-off is worth it," Carrell says.
He shares six valuable old-school offerings that benefit leaders can tailor to the needs of their workforce.
Strengthened skills growth
With financial challenges like reinstated student loan payments and increasing cost of living, employees don't have the same ability to seek out additional training. Benefit leaders can design things like tuition assistance and free on-the-job skills and development training that align with the business's needs and make workers feel like they have a future with the company, Carrell says.
"Skill sponsorship is a cross-functional responsibility that is built by HR with input from others. Leaders need to explore skills gaps, managers have to support team members, and finance has to consider it as a long-term investment. What skills does the business need more of? How do these connect to real roles and progression paths? People who can see where their learning could take them are far more likely to engage with it," he says.
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Clarified career paths
Career progression conversations should begin in the hiring process and then happen consistently throughout an employee's lifecycle, says Carrell. They should include what the next steps are, and how to get there, including expectations and skills needed.
"Bringing career ladders into the hiring process is important because candidates are already asking that question, even if they don't say it directly. They want to know what happens after they join and that they aren't going to be stuck in a career-limiting job," he says. "Then those conversations need to continue. Priorities change, roles evolve, and people grow. Progression feels real when it's part of an ongoing dialogue. When it's only mentioned at the start, it quickly loses credibility."
Compressed workweeks
If employees can accomplish in four longer days what they do in five shorter ones, there's an advantage to establishing this policy. The policy has been championed by community leaders and politicians for decades, including former president Richard Nixon, who suggested the schedule back in 1956. It takes intention on the part of leadership and investing trust in employees, says Carrell, but research points to increased well-being and no loss of productivity.
"A compressed workweek sounds easy on paper, but most of us have never been taught how to work that way," he explains. "The business has to help people rethink how they use their time. They need training around prioritization — what actually needs to get done versus what's just a habit, and being more deliberate about how meetings are run. Giving people permission to focus on high-value activities and providing practical support like clearer workflows, better documentation and fewer single points of failure make it easier for people to move quickly without constantly chasing information."
On-site child care
Working parents are one of today's hardest-hit populations, and they're leaning hard on employer support to help them with the cost and time spent on managing child care. On-site child care is a great asset, and if it isn't possible, there are other ways for employers to help make care more predictable, Carrell says.
"Subsidized childcare is probably the closest alternative. Even covering part of the cost relieves some pressure, and employees feel that immediately. Flexibility is the other big one. The day-to-day logistics, school runs and last-minute issues are a lot less stressful when people have some control over their hours or can work from home when needed. When parents aren't spending the first hour of their workday managing child care arrangements, they're more focused, more present and more loyal. It's a benefit that pays for itself in retention alone," he says.
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An actual offline culture
Technology has contributed to the collapse of work and home life boundaries, Carrell says. If this is a priority, permission to log off, not respond immediately when away and other healthy habits must be consistently modeled from the top down, and teams should individually decide what this looks like for them, he adds.
"Most people will default to what's modelled, not what's written down in a policy," stressed Carrell. "The companies that actively protect their people's time off, not just in writing, but in practice, are the ones building cultures where people want to stay," says Carrell.
Service-based sabbaticals
Carrell sees longer-term breaks from work as a strong option for combatting burnout as well as rewarding years of service. Planning needs to take place on both the employee and leadership sides — what preparation is required before someone leaves, how things will flow smoothly while they are out, and how their workflow will look when they come back. This means employees can't be solely responsible for essential tasks and managers require training for proper execution, he says.
"A structured sabbatical after significant tenure gives people a genuine reset and you signal to everyone else that longevity is actually valued" says Carrell. "Set clear expectations upfront for the person taking the sabbatical and the team around them. If these are in place, a sabbatical becomes a restful break and people come back with energy, renewed focus and the motivation to succeed in the workplace."
