Benefits most desired by Candidates

As a Hiring Manager or Decision maker struggling with high staff turnover, have you ever wondered how to increase retention rates and what will motivate your employees? I recently attended a webinar discussing which benefits existing and future employees are looking for from their employer, so you need to wonder no more.  

In this blog, our aim is to enhance your understanding of how you can compensate your employees outside of just salary by providing you with details of the most desired benefits. Some benefits may be set in stone by your organisation but some of which you may be able to influence and mould to support your workforce.

The most common benefits the charity sector include as standard are 25+ days annual leave, hybrid working (something a lot of us take for granted as a given but remember that many sectors are back in the office five days per week), flexible working hours, TOIL (time off in lieu), free tea and coffee and access to training and development, but how does that compare to what candidates want when looking at benefits?

A recent survey carried out by Charity Jobs of candidates who had used their website in the past year has shown that the top two benefits candidates want are in line with what most charities are offering: 25+ days annual leave, flexible working hours, and remote working. The salary was most important for those aged between 25-35 years (probably to allow for saving for deposits), and flexible and remote working for 36-44 year-olds (normally with caring responsibilities). Interestingly annual leave of over 25 days was a particular driver for male respondents.

The majority of candidates shared that a meaningful job was either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to them, highlighting that the organisation culture 91% and mission or purpose of the organisation is equally important with 88% saying this was a factor when considering job opportunities. Age did play a part in candidate’s priorities with younger candidates (those under 25 years) primarily driven by mission and yet we, as a sector, no longer have ownership of being mission-led organisations like we did before the rise of B-Corps. And yet it is still important to candidates, so how do we continue to attract people into our sector in the volume that we need them? 

The other most desired benefits, that aren’t usually covered by charities are listed below, is this something your organisation could look into offering?

Benefits most desired

• 4-day week on full pay 
• Health insurance
• Clear career progression
• Enhanced pension contributions

Obviously, some of these could be difficult for your organisations to deliver however clear career progression is something more charities could give consideration to. 

Questions to consider and ask yourself.

Although pay is clearly important to candidates, it is not the sole motivator. Do you offer a positive, mission-led, and supportive working environment that aligns with the charity you are working for? 

Can you offer a flexible benefits package where individuals choose different benefits that are relevant to them at different times in their careers? 

Are you creating promotion opportunities for staff? Or is it a case of “dead man’s shoes” and you are relying on staff turnover to promote and ironically retain people?

If you have considered all of the above you are doing all the right things, if you haven’t and you’d like to discuss what could work for you please do get in touch with us on [email protected] and we can give you some examples and advice for inspiration.

#charitysector #thirdsector #staffbenefits #employeeretention