In today's business landscape, prioritizing the well-being and support of employees has become increasingly vital for business owners.

With the current cost of living crisis, people are going through a whole host of challenges. Whether it is cutting costs or trying to secure a mortgage, employees need more support than ever before.

Besides a salary increase, you could consider the following benefits in order to help with staff retention, productivity, and overall well-being. 

1. Give Home Office Allowance

As a result of the covid-19 pandemic, working from home increased significantly. Despite this no longer being required, many businesses have continued to offer this. Many people find this way of working more productive, without the need to commute and lack of office distractions. 

Even though working from home is a popular option, not everyone’s home is well equipped for it. Giving employees a home office allowance will help them to create a space in their house that is even more conducive to productivity. This could include spending on fitted furniture to create more space, or on a high-quality desk chair to encourage better posture. 

2. Encourage Flexible Working

Managing work and home life can prove very difficult. Offering flexible working is an effective way to help staff improve. Allowing flexibility regarding start and finish times makes it easier to manage childcare, attendance of medical appointments, and any other life admin that may crop up.

Flexible working is not only beneficial to staff but has also been proven to improve productivity, as staff are less distracted by non-work-related issues. 

3. Provide Mental Health Support

With NHS waiting lists at an all-time high, it is taking longer than ever to receive mental health support. Therefore, employees are likely to be very appreciative of access to private advice. There are plenty of organisations out there that offer specialist mental health services, and even ones that are dedicated to doing so in a work capacity.

Discussing well-being issues can be very challenging, so it can be incredibly beneficial to give employees a safe and confidential space to do this.

4. Offer Annual Leave

While it may seem counterproductive for business to give employees more time off, it can actually be very helpful. Staff are more likely to be happier if they are able to create a better work-life balance and have dedicated time off work. This in turn will aid productivity, as well as improving staff retention, which is fantastic for staff retention and company morale. 

Additional annual leave will of course come with cost and scheduling implications, so these must be carefully assessed before offering them to employees. Before introducing any new benefit or scheme, it can be useful to send out a survey to staff to accurately gauge exactly what they are looking for and would get the most from.