Employers are offering new benefits, from elder care to pet PTO

A few months ago, when Annika Cha adopted her rescue puppy Ollie, she used her company’s pauternity policy.

Cha, 26 and based in St. Paul, Minn., is an account manager at 9Sail, a digital marketing agency headquartered in West Islip, LI. She was able to take four half days off thanks to the company’s policy that covers two days for employees after adopting a dog or cat.

The first-time parent has updated her Slack status to “PTO: Ollie” without having to use any of her 18 days of paid annual leave to bond with her dog.

“I live in an apartment with no balcony – I was trying to learn my puppy’s cues and work on potty training,” she recalls.

During home training, fellow dog owners gave her advice and she felt “very supported and cared for by everyone in the company”.

Pet parents aren’t the only employees who feel the love of their employers. Charles, 58, director of customer experience at global technology company Cisco (last name omitted for privacy), has four grandchildren and another on the way in mid-September.

Thanks to the company’s grandparent leave policy that began in 2017, Charles gets three days of paid leave for each newborn grandchild. Last summer he did it twice when his nephew and niece were born in Queens and New Jersey. Three more days are on deck this fall.

“The days were spent helping the parents tidy up – doing chores for them, setting up the children’s furniture and giving them a break when they needed it,” said Charles. “It is important that I support my children during some of the most rewarding but also challenging times. I want to be present in these special moments because I love them and it brings me the greatest joy to see my family grow.”

Many companies are now expanding their employee benefit coverage. They now cover fertility and family planning, financial and emotional support, mental health coverage, aged care support, pet bereavement, climate change and environmental support and beyond.

According to benefits consulting firm NFP’s annual US benefits trend report for 2024, interest in additional programs and services is high: 59% of workers are looking for nutrition and exercise programs, 58% want mental fitness programs ( meditation, resilience and stress management), 46% are interested in women’s health services and 44% are interested in caring for elderly or sick family members.

Experts say this is a sign of the times.

“The acceptance of these diverse and comprehensive benefits is a reflection of the changing circumstances of our families and the recognition that ‘it takes a village,'” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Workplace Intelligence, a leading think-tank and research agency focused on the world of work and author of Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation (Da Capo Lifelong Books). “This holistic approach to employee benefits not only fosters a more inclusive workplace, but also acknowledges the interconnectedness of work and personal life, promoting a more compassionate and understanding corporate culture.”

It is a win-win situation, and in the end both the employee and the employer benefit. For the latter, empathy can result in loyalty, retention and ultimately improve bottom line.

“Employees who feel their company values ​​them as human beings and not just workers will want to stay with that company and their engagement will increase, helping to increase revenue for the company,” said Gordon Marzano, owner and principal consultant of Wayne. NJ-based Marzano Human Resources Consulting.

On paper it’s one thing, in practice it’s another, however.

“Perks cultivate a healthy work environment, as long as there is a culture that encourages employees to receive fringe benefits,” said Lauren Becker, assistant general counsel and human resources consultant at Greenpoint for Engage PEO, a provider of employee engagement solutions. contracting of human resources. “Simply offering small benefits on paper but promoting a culture where no one uses them is less likely to result in the cultural improvements employers might hope for.”

If the company culture embraces innovative ideas, employees may feel empowered to speak up, especially ahead of policy updates for 2025. Midtown-based health, wealth and investment company Voya Financial surveys its employees to asked about their satisfaction and unmet needs.

“With five generations in the workplace, we need to review and refresh our benefits to meet the evolving needs of our employees,” said Carole Mendoza, vice president of benefits at Voya Financial, which also hears from employee-led councils ( employee-like resource pools) with new benefit ideas and stays on the pulse of industry trends.

“The market is also changing, so there are new services available that we didn’t even think about just five years ago,” Mendoza said.

It recently added a benefit to help employees navigate family building. This is in addition to the ten-year policy to provide up to $25,000 for IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies. (It is covered like other benefits under the medical plan with deductibles and coinsurance.)

Fertility benefits often take precedence over other new benefits in benefits. Corinne Jones, president and senior human resources consultant of CJC Human Resources Consulting in Midtown, has seen IVF breaks present more than future ones like maternity and pet loss. “This is a more common practice in the last 10 years than ever before,” Jones said. “For those who cannot start a family and want to, nothing compares in priority. Finding an employer who shares this priority is more important than any other benefit.

These special benefits are not expected to fade anytime soon as employees and job seekers prioritize their needs and companies evaluate and expand their coverage.

“Trends to offer unique family support-type employee benefits appear to be more than just a passing fad; they are likely to stay here,” Schawbel said. “As the workforce becomes more diverse and as values ​​around work and life continue to evolve, more organizations are expected to adopt similar policies to stay competitive in attracting and retaining talent.”