An employer’s perks plan reveals much about its culture, including its core values and the importance of attracting a diverse range of talented individuals. A well-thought-out benefits package can make a job much more appealing to women, especially those at certain stages of their lives or who are responsible for babysitting.
Many women, especially those who are trying to balance work and family life, can make or break their careers depending on the benefits they receive. Companies may force these women to leave the workforce if they don’t offer enough flexibility to help them balance their work and personal lives.
These days, women are more likely to be interested in jobs that allow them to work from home because they don’t have to deal with travel and can better balance work and childcare. Traditional office jobs, on the other hand, that require long trips can accidentally push women out of the workforce.
This is especially true for people who have to care for others, because strict schedules and long commutes make it nearly impossible to balance work and personal obligations. Moreover, individuals require additional child care services to compensate for the time they spend traveling.
Offering perks that women can use is important for remote companies that want to make their teams more diverse, especially in tech jobs. These are some of the most significant benefits and perks designed to attract female applicants.
Work from home, set your own hours, and work part-time
Employers who allow women to work from home, particularly those with care responsibilities, stand to benefit greatly. By not having to travel every day, online work gives women the freedom to take on jobs that they might not be able to do otherwise because of child care needs.
Some companies, such as Buffer and Meilisearch, have gone even further by giving their employees more freedom by only working four days a week. Buffer wrote a report about what it was like to work a 4-day week last year, which you can read here. Companies like FINN, on the other hand, offer part-time jobs because they know that not all employees can or want to work full-time. With these rules, women can better balance their personal and work lives.
One company that did this was Cleo, which hired a front-end tech who had just given birth to twins. She could only work part-time because she had to take care of her kids. Cleo was able to return to work while still taking care of her family because she was flexible. Remote work and shorter hours provide more job opportunities for women, especially caregivers.
Benefits for Reproductive Health
Reproductive health encompasses a wide range of physical, mental, and social well-being aspects related to sexual reproduction. It is essential for individuals of all ages and genders. Benefits of good reproductive health include:
#1. Reduced risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs):
Proper education, safe sexual practices, and regular check-ups can significantly reduce the risk of STIs.
#2. Improved fertility:
Maintaining reproductive health can enhance fertility and increase the chances of conceiving.
#3. Enhanced quality of life:
Good reproductive health contributes to overall well-being, including physical, emotional, and social aspects.
#4. Reduced maternal and infant mortality:
Access to adequate reproductive healthcare services has the potential to reduce mother and newborn mortality rates.
#5. Empowerment:
Understanding and controlling one’s reproductive health empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives.
Treatments for infertility
People are increasingly seeking benefits that cover pregnancy treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or egg freezing. Some companies, like HubSpot and Zapier, already offer this kind of support because they know how important it is to help workers through different times of life.
Becky McCullough, VP of Global Recruiting & Talent Development at HubSpot, talks about her own experience with IVF and how it affected the fertility perks that HubSpot now offers. Because of these perks, women can go after their job goals and plan their families on their own time.
In fact, many women start children much later in life than they did when they first started working. This complicates matters when it comes time to try to conceive. Egg freezing is one treatment that can help female workers keep their fertility until the right time.
Care for Mothers
Full maternity care is another important perk. This includes care before and after birth, as well as assistance during delivery. Through its Family@HubSpot employee assistance group, HubSpot makes sure that its female workers can get the medical care they need before, during, and after giving birth. This is very helpful for women who are going back to work after maternity leave.
Parental Leave
It’s becoming more normal for companies to offer generous parental leave for both moms and dads. But ZOE goes above and beyond by offering more parental leave choices. As another way to help new parents get back to work after giving birth or adopting a child, ZOE offers return-to-work coaching.
This keeps women from feeling like they have to quit their jobs to start or grow a family. While extending parental leave to both parents, whether they have given birth or not, because it is important to give both parents time to care for and bond with the child, this puts more pressure on the parent who gave birth.
Assist with breastfeeding
Companies can help nursing moms a lot by giving them lactation advisers, special rooms for pumping, and money back for breastfeeding products. These small benefits make a big difference for working moms because they help them balance their health needs with their work duties.
Help with childcare
Costs of child care are often one of the biggest problems for parents who work, especially in places like the UK where they are too high to afford. Some companies, like ZOE, have programs that help their employees save money on nursery fees. These savings can cover everything from the full monthly fee to tax and National Insurance.
Considering how often one parent’s (often the mother’s) whole salary is used to pay for child care, helping women pay for it can have a big effect on their ability to stay in the workforce. These kinds of perks have a big effect on society because they make sure that women can keep using their skills and information as they move up in their jobs.
Advantages for Health and Wellness
Health programs for women
A practical way to help female workers is to offer preventive care, tests, and information on women’s health problems. Companies that offer women access to specialized health programs help them stay healthy and spot possible health problems early.
Help with mental health
In today’s fast-paced work world, mental health is very important, and many companies have started to provide counseling and other tools for mental health. These are some companies that offer mental health help as part of their benefits packages: Cleo, Meilisearch, and Zapier.
These kinds of services are easy to add to an HR stack so that workers can get help when they need it. Giving women access to mental health tools gives them the power to put their health first, which is especially important for those who are juggling work and other obligations.
Benefits for Career Growth
Programs for mentoring
Mentorship programs are excellent for personal growth and can help women find ways to move up in their careers.
Developing leadership skills
Leadership training programs for women can help close the leadership gap between men and women. Women get the skills and help they need from these programs to run for leadership roles and speak up for themselves at work. The benefits of having more diverse leaders and the effect this has on the whole organization are shown by these supports.
Events for networking
Putting together networking events for women is a great way for them to meet other workers, share their experiences, and make business connections that last. Networking events can help build a sense of community within the company and get female employees to work together more.
In conclusion
Companies that want to hire and keep the best workers must provide perks that are specifically tailored to women. Some of the perks that can make a big difference in the lives of female workers are the ability to work from home, coverage for reproductive health care, help with child care, and chances to advance in their careers.
By giving these benefits, companies show they care about making the workplace a welcoming and helpful place where women can grow professionally and personally.
