To attract the best talent, many employers have expanded their employee incentives and benefits offerings. You read about some of the perks Google offers, such as free food and haircuts, on-site gyms and medical facilities, and more. Some other benefits that have been the topics of recent news stories include paid parental leave and unlimited vacation policies.
While the Family Medical Leave Act guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to new parents, there are no US laws guaranteeing any paid leave. But many companies in the tech sector and beyond have expanded their paid parental leave policies in recent years, including Netflix, Microsoft, Ikea, and Nike. Other companies, such as Apple and Facebook, even offer egg freezing and IVF benefits to employees.
Another benefit some companies are trying out is an unlimited vacation time policy. While the idea that you can take off as much time as you like is appealing to many job-seekers, some evidence suggests that employees at these companies actually take less time off than those at companies with more traditional vacation policies.[1] Advocates of unlimited time-off policies cite trust between employees and managers as a key factor in making them work.
For Discussion
Choose ONE of the following questions to respond to in your initial post.
What benefits and incentives do you think are most appealing to employees, and why?
What challenges do benefits like extended parental leave and unlimited paid time off present to managers? How might managers address these challenges?
Research some other unique employee benefits or incentives. Share what you discover, and include a link to the article or site. Do you think these incentives would be attractive to employees? Why or why not?
If you were working as an HR manager, what benefits and incentives would you recommend that the company offer? Why?