There's a growing sense of urgency among hiring companies today to stand out and differentiate themselves from their competition. But unlike in the past, discreetly offering great benefits isn’t enough to compete for top talent or to retain your best employees. In today’s talent-driven market, you also have to make sure that job seekers and employees understand all of the benefits you provide and how to access them. Highlighting benefits in your virtual recruiting events can help you get the word out, making your organization even more attractive to candidates. Hosting virtual benefits fairs for employees can also improve utilization and empower your employees to make the most of your benefit programs.
As we head into open enrollment season, your organization is probably adding or enhancing benefits to best attract top talent, or even to adjust to what the different candidate personas value so you have a broader appeal. And job seekers want to know: what new, highly desirable benefits are you offering? Or has your organization been at the leading edge of offering these enticing benefits for a while? Either way, you need to get the word out both before and during your employee journey.
Here's how to help candidates and current employees take advantage of your new benefits and enhance your employer brand by putting a spotlight on them with your virtual hiring event software.
What Competitive Benefits and Perks Do Candidates Look For?
There’s no doubt that the past several years have seen a significant shift in workforce priorities. And that means that candidates in this tight talent market are looking for organizations that offer benefits packages that align with their personal needs and values more than ever. Plus, what candidates want when it comes to benefits has expanded beyond standard medical/dental coverage.
Here’s a look at many competitive benefits employers are adding into the mix to appeal to today’s talent market.
Mental health benefits. Coverage for mental health services and other wellness programs ranks high in today’s workforce. Research shows 70% of employees would jump ship for another employer with better policies to reduce burnout—so becoming one of those employers simultaneously helps you attract talent and boost retention.
Expanded medical coverage. Consider including gender-affirming care, family planning, and fertility services.
Future education expenses. Investing in your employees' professional development and continuing education shows commitment to their long-term career goals, which can also align with your professional hiring objectives for more experienced and senior-level employees later on.
Flexible scheduling and time off. Today’s job seekers and employees are also looking for policies and perks that help them manage their work/life integration, such as flexible work arrangements, updated leave policies, regular mandatory PTO (mental health days) and extended sabbaticals, among other benefit options.
Other popular low-cost benefits. Think outside the standard benefits package and consider adding pet insurance, childcare discounts or reimbursements, employee stipends, wellness incentives, pharmacy benefits, and referral bonuses.
How to Highlight Benefits in Virtual Recruiting Events
Highlighting your benefits offerings to job seekers isn’t complicated but we are still seeing many employers skipping or delaying this step, to the detriment of their candidate experience. Why? Because when employers list benefits in job ads and on their careers site, it helps job seekers find answers sooner and could reduce candidate ghosting down the line.
It’s also key to host benefits-centric virtual informational events for candidates and employees (separately). These are great opportunities for members of your HR team or provider reps to showcase the benefits you offer and allow attendees to ask questions. Also consider bringing in experts from benefits providers on a regular basis for employee events, so those enrolling outside of open enrollment can get their questions answered directly during the virtual health fair or designated webinar presentations.
You can also include questions about benefits in candidate feedback surveys to learn more and help inform your future benefits decisions in order to keep your employee retention high. For instance, ask job seekers what benefits are most important to them, how much benefits factor into their offer acceptance decision, and other questions that target the challenges you’re facing to further tailor your recruitment and retention approach.
Hosting Virtual Benefits Fairs for Employees
Virtual benefit and wellness fairs can help you educate employees on the benefits you offer, give them opportunities to ask questions privately, and encourage employees to utilize the benefits available to them. Plus, they can educate employees about benefits they may not realize they have access to, helping boost retention.
There are a number of virtual events that support benefits. We recommend hosting a virtual benefits fair for annual enrollment, as well as other regular virtual events that spotlight a specific benefit (i.e. mental health coverage) with provider reps on hand to present/answer questions. Many employers are seeing great results from hosting regular virtual benefits office hours where employees can chat 1:1 with a benefits administrator, so they can learn more about their coverage, ask questions, and get help with coverage changes.
The Benefits of Great Benefits
Competitive benefits help make a good job even better, and can translate into a more meaningful work experience when employees feel supported and cared for by their Human Resources team. Expanding benefits coverage to offer more of what today’s top talent demands and wellness challenges is crucial to succeeding in your talent acquisition goals and in retaining your best employees. Using virtual events and more interactive content, like external recruiting events and internal benefits fairs, helps you educate, attract, and engage with employees and job seekers in even more accessible and flexible ways, so they understand the benefits you offer and how those offerings, in turn, benefit them.
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