Optional and trending perks have become the tools that help to hook (and keep) big talent.
Nowhere has the delicate balance of benefits become more prevalent than in hybrid work environments, where employers must figure out how to provide enticing options for
EY has been experimenting with this equation since they adopted a hybrid return-to-work model in February 2022. The business management consulting firm turned to their
"Hybrid is a great model that creates a level of flexibility people experienced during the pandemic, but it also gives special human, in-person experiences," says Frank Giampietro, chief well-being officer at EY. "We have a multigenerational workforce, and when we went out and talked to our folks, we discovered there was a wide variety of things getting in the way, some of which were financial. We had to remove the barriers and create opportunity."
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EY took a proactive approach to helping their workforce return to the office. In addition to a $1,000 annual well-being fund offering, employees are eligible for an additional $800 per year, which provides reimbursement for things like dependent care, pet care and commuting costs. The message behind this is that great things happen when people are
"When we're doing heads-down, focused work, that's great stuff to do at home," he says. "But when we're trying to build connections, we're trying to build mentorship, we're trying to learn from each other, those are great things to do in person. It's focusing on teams, and accelerating a sense of belonging to create a psychologically safe environment."
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EY has avoided mandating a return-to-work, which gives their team a more open-minded approach to the hybrid structure, Giampietro says. But to further entice employees to return, EY established "predictable flexibility" so that people could plan ahead and decide as a team when they would come into the office. Not only does this allow for in-person collaboration, but creates accountability among teammates.
"We want to try and empower people, not control them," says Giampietro. "We consistently get folks who say, 'I didn't think I had any reason to have to come in and be with my team. I was getting my work done just fine. I had no idea what I was missing out on until I experienced it.' That is really our philosophy: Give people the opportunity to experience it, and then let the experience speak for itself."
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To make sure these benefits and arrangements are still effective for their workforce, EY crowdsources employees as a way to get ideas for programs that would benefit them moving forward. Not only does this give employees an additional chance to be heard, but it helps to expand upon communication throughout all levels of an organization.
"We try to think about the whole system," says Giampietro. "We're ultimately trying to accomplish getting individuals and teams to work together, so what does that mean from a behavioral perspective, from a policy perspective, and from a training and learning perspective for our leaders? And then, do we have all the right programs and benefits that support and enable that? We're trying to think about that as holistically as we can, and we're learning as we go."
