Besides remuneration and health cover, firms can offer a wide variety of benefits depending on the sector, availability of resources, the needs of employees, and the creativity of the employer. These benefits include paid holidays, sponsored marriage anniversary or birthday parties, gym/club membership, tickets to special events, car grants, cash bonuses, tuition reimbursement, retirement plans, and performance incentives, among many others (Flynn, Mathis, Jackson & Valentine 2015). The type of benefits package chosen by an employer may vary with the objectives of the employer, the applicable laws, and the needs of employees who should be engaged in drafting benefits plans. For instance, Flyn et al. (2015) indicate that the Affordable Care Act has special provisions for low-income employees to ensure their needs are met. Personally, if I were earning a relatively low salary, I would prefer cash bonuses instead of paid gym membership as strictly informed by my needs. In such a case, money is more valuable to me than club/gym membership.
Otherwise, my most preferred and important benefits in order of relevance are tuition reimbursements, 401k plans, paid holidays, and cash bonuses. Ideally, tuition reimbursement would help me offset my current student loans and also motivate me to pursue continuous learning to acquire new skills and push for my personal development. Additional training would not only benefit but also my employer because the organization will enjoy better skills and competence from me. A 401k plan would secure my retirement and give me the peace of mind that I need to enhance my productivity and also remain loyal to the employer (Flynn et al., 2015). The paid holidays benefit would allow me to attain an ideal work-life balance for better productivity and indicate an appreciation of my personal life. As for the cash bonuses, whether performance-based or otherwise, I will be able to ‘co-own’ the organization and push for its profitability always.
Overall, I believe that benefits imply an additional cost to the employer in the short term but offer long-term gains to the firm. Healthcare organizations should always empower their employees by providing a good working environment and by having a strong human resources department to oversee employees’ welfare and carry out other administrative tasks that enhance staff productivity and client satisfaction (Flynn et al. 2015). I would also like to add that employers should know and be reminded often that employees are their most valuable asset in the service-oriented sector healthcare included.
Reference
Flynn, W., Mathis, R. L., Jackson, J., & Valentine, S. (2015). Healthcare human resource management (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning.