New employee benefits tackle grief, caregiving and climate change

Employees' needs are always evolving, and your benefit programs should be, too. 

Employers have had to keep their finger on the pulse of what will make an impact on employees' lives, whether it's supportive benefits that address ongoing mental health challenges, financial wellness resources, and more specific options that address a variety of unique needs. And organizations continue to innovate when it comes to finding ways to reach their employees and provide that support. 

For employees struggling with grief, Workplace Healing is an all-in-one resource for employers, guiding them through difficult conversations and sharing ways to create a more robust bereavement policy. Founders Mindy Corporon and Lisa Cooper both had devastating experiences with loss, and were driven to create a solution that they never had. 

"I started realizing that there was this huge gap in how leaders reintegrated employees after they had a grief event," Corporon says. "When I lost my father and son I was the leader of a company, and I had to train myself how to talk to people and train my team how to talk to me."

Read about Workplace Healing: This platform is helping employers normalize grief at work

Finding benefits that support a large subset of your organization can make your company stronger as a whole. Caregivers now make up 45% of the workforce, according to Bank of America. To serve this growing group, Chobani recently announced the launch of its partnership with WeeCare, a leading child care provider. All U.S. employees, from manufacturing to corporate, will now be eligible to receive backup care credits and a $1,200 annual cash stipend for child care or elder care costs. 

Read more about the Chobani and WeeCare partnership: Chobani partners with Weecare to expand child care and elder care benefits

While employers find ways to give back to their employees, the workforce is increasingly interested in doing good, too. Whether it's giving money to charity, or supporting initiatives that can help lessen the impact of climate change, organizations are tackling these needs with innovative ideas to make the world a better place. 

Daffy for Work is making charitable giving automatic — the platform was designed in the way that 401(k) accounts are set up, giving employees access to a tax-free way to invest money for charitable purposes. Employees can then direct their funds to any charity within the U.S. If employees set aside just 1% of their paycheck to direct to charity, an additional $100 billion would be given to charity each year, Daffy's research found. 

Read more about the impact of corporate giving: Making charitable donations as easy as 401(k) contributions

While climate change feels like an insurmountable challenge, small efforts can have a big impact. To direct employees to resources, corporate purpose software firm Benevity recently launched their Climate Action Kit, which provides employers with customizable lists of volunteer, donation and over 150 micro-action opportunities to address climate change. 

Whether employees choose to donate and receive an employer match, team up with coworkers for a volunteer day, or simply commit to turning off lights each time they leave a room, it can have a major impact, both on the environment and their connection to their employer. 

"As an employer, if you're able to work toward something that's bigger than yourself, and to do that in partnership [with employees], that partnership and working toward a collective goal is super important," says Janeen Speer, chief people officer at Benevity. 

Read more about the climate kit: Benevity launches a climate kit to give employers actionable resources