5 Remote Workplace Benefits on the Rise in 2021 and Beyond

There’s no denying that COVID-19 has flipped the world upside down in virtually every aspect, with new requirements for remote work becoming more needed than ever. Even as many of us have been given the all-clear to return to our in-house office jobs, more and more employers are finding that their employees want to keep working from home. And with such a large number of employees continuing to work from home for the long haul, this has led many of us to wonder if the future of workplace benefits is going to change to tailor our remote positions. In this article, we take a look at 5 remote workplace benefits that employers are considering for 2021 and beyond in order to tailor to their employees’ needs and expectations.

Flexible Work Hours 

Let’s face it, flexible hours have been every working person’s dream since the beginning of time. After all, nobody wants to be disciplined for arriving 10 minutes late if they’re having an off day, or if they’re having trouble getting their kids off to school. More employers are realizing that remote work is not just about the flexibility of where you work, but when you work as well. 

Childcare and Family Benefits

The effects of working under one roof with your entire household were felt by all of us, and especially by those of us who have children. And regardless of whether or not our office is at home or in a co-working space, that doesn’t mean we can afford to be any less distracted. This is one of the reasons why childcare and family benefits have been brought to the forefront of employers’ minds.

Forbes.com tells us more about why childcare and family benefits are becoming high in demand:

“According to Cleo CEO Sarahjane Sacchetti, the demand for comprehensive family benefits programs was already on the rise pre-Covid, but the pandemic brought the need for such programs into sharp relief. “This conversation about parents and working families was growing in urgency with employers, but I think COVID has really cemented that this is going to be at top strategy for employers moving forward,” Sacchetti told Employee Benefit News.”

Work-Life Balance

While many employers may like the fact that employees are working more than their 40 hour work weeks when working from home, odds are, they’re not getting paid extra for it. The focus on mental health is more prevalent now than ever before, and employees are finding better ways to track their employees’ output to ensure a fair work-life balance.

Solut.ca explains why more emphasis will be put on a proper work-life balance for employees:

“When you work from home, boundaries between the professional and personal world seems to blur. With the remote work trend of 2021, employees would take this wake-up call sincerely. For companies, it means equipping systems to measure an employee’s output, such as a time tracking system for remote workers, similar to an on-site arrangement.”

Mental Health Support Will Become the New Normal

We think we can all agree that mental health support in the workplace has been a long-term issue. However, the past several years have shown some improvement in mental health benefits, with COVID-19 bringing these issues to the forefront.

Harvard Business Review tells us more on the mental health support we can expect to see in the workplace going forward:

“By late March, 68% of organizations had introduced at least one new wellness benefit to aid employees during the pandemic. In 2021, employers will go even further by working to de-stigmatize mental health by expanding mental health benefits, creating days where they shut the entire company down for a day to offer “a collective mental health day” to build awareness across the workforce about this critical issue.”

Home Office Expenses

Businesses that have been well versed in remote working for some time have likely offered a stipend for home office expenses for years. However, businesses that are new to remote working are now realizing that it’s important to assist new remote workers in setting up their home office spaces. In fact, a survey conducted in mid-2020 found that 1 in 5 companies was helping to pay for remote workers’ home office expenses. 

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