After speaking with hundreds of People, HR, Rewards and Benefits professionals at The Watercooler Event in May, it is clear that there were two key topics on people’s minds – retention and wellbeing.
According to myTamarin, there were 4 types of employers who came to The Watercooler Event.
Which one are you?
1. Just-wrapping-my-head-around
“We know we have to do something about [fertility / new parents / menopause / elder carers], but don’t know where to start.”
If you’re not personally going through one of these stages, it’s pretty difficult finding out what that means exactly, and thus, how to help effectively. A myriad of potential providers, types of benefits and perks, makes it somewhat more complicated, and even then, one route might work best for certain types of companies, but not so much for others.
2. Policy folks
“We put a [fertility / pregnancy loss / menopause / new parent] friendly policy in place! We were really proud of it. For the first six months at least… We know we need to do more”.
Having a policy in place is a very important first step. It’s signalling that you truly care, are aware and are willing to do something about it. But nowadays, that might not be quite enough. With companies doing everything in their power to stand out to the most talented staff, a policy is now becoming more of an expectation and there needs to be more.
3. Content producers
“We put educational content in place, and our employees are not engaging enough.”
There is so much content out there. Although tailoring content and sifting through what is available out there is useful, people are unlikely to read through every article or blog or report.
Especially if the answers to their questions are not immediately obvious. Often, talking to an expert is the fastest and easiest way to resolve problems.
4. Targeted solutions, please
“We know policies and content are not enough. We want to find meaningful, tangible, personalised support for our employees when they need it the most”.
80% of the working population are going through one of the key life stages (Fertility, Pregnancy Loss, Early Parenthood, Childcare, Menopause and Eldercare) right now. And 1 in 3 of them will leave their employer, reduce their working hours or lose productivity as they don’t receive sufficient support – either through conventional channels such as the NHS, or their employer.
Too often GPs aren’t helpful (enough), insurance doesn’t quite cover their challenges, and mental wellness only acts as a plaster.
Each life stage can be so unique and personal to an individual. It’s hard to figure out exactly what would be truly useful and what just sounds like it might be useful.
