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A Guide to Employee Benefits in 2024 & The Best Software For You

Employee benefits vary differently based on the location of the employing entity. These benefits may include social security, Medicare, unemployment.............

Workpay
May 20, 2024
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May 20, 2024
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A Guide to Employee Benefits in 2024 & The Best Software For You

What is Employee Benefit?

Employee benefit is a form of compensation provided by an employer to employees in addition to their base salaries and wages. These benefits play a crucial role in attracting and retaining talent, improving employee satisfaction and enhancing productivity.

Employee benefits an organization offers will vary based on its business environment and jurisdiction. Some employee benefits are country-specific. These employee benefits are designed to enhance the wellbeing of employees and can include a wide range of provisions. The employer may also offer perks to their employee. Although employee benefits and perks are casually used interchangeably, there is a distinction between the two. Employee benefits are in form of compensation while perks are not factored into the employee pay. Perks serve as incentives that are provided to the employee that entice them to work for the employer.

Classification of Employee Benefits

Legally required benefits

Statutory required employee benefits are mandatory protections and financial provisions that an employer must provide to their employee. These employee benefits vary differently based on the location of the employing entity. These benefits may include social security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, workers compensation and compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). These employee benefits are normally clearly outlined by domestic governing authority. An ideal example of these statutory benefits is the IAS 19 Employee Benefits (1998) act which outlines that the accounting requirements for employee benefits, including short-term benefits (e.g. wages and salaries, annual leave), post-employment benefits such as retirement benefits, other long-term benefits (e.g. long service leave) and termination benefits.

Discretionary benefits

These are employee benefits that companies apply that are not mandated by law. The employer uses these employee benefits to attract and retain talent in their institution. They may include flexible working arrangements, professional development benefits such as tuition assistance and mental health benefits.

Employee Benefits Examples

1. Health insurance

This benefit involves the coverage of medical, dental and vision care. Some companies will supplement these with other specialized services such as physiotherapy and chiropractic sessions, fertility treatments, or psychological support. Healthcare insurance attracts and retains talent and enhances job satisfaction by ensuring that employees access necessary healthcare services.

2. Retirement plans

These employee benefits involve the contribution to pension plans, 401(k) plans or other retirement savings account. Employers often contribute to these plans, offering tax advantages and matching contributions. This employment benefit plan assists the employee to save and invest over time, ensuring a stable, reliable and consistent income during retirement.

3. Paid time off

Employees require off-duty times and breaks from their day-to-day work schedule. This employee benefit involves inclusivity of compensated vacation days, sick leave and holidays.

4. Life and disability insurance

This employee benefit involves involve protection against loss of income as a consequence of death or disability.

5. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts

These are pre-tax accounts that cater for medical or dependent care expenses. Employees save on taxes while managing healthcare costs. These funds must be used within the plan year, offering financial flexibility for healthcare and childcare expenses.

6. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP's) 

This is non-monetary employee benefit plan that provide confidential counseling and support services for personal or work-related issues.

7. Work-life balance benefits

Employers may design flexible working hours, telecommuting options and parental leave as an employee benefit.

8. Perks

These are employee benefits such as Gym memberships, employee discounts, wellness programs and professional development such as funding for education, training and certifications.

The "Benefits" of Employee Benefits

1. Acquiring and attracting new talent

Competitive employee benefits packages are essential for acquiring and attracting new talent. Prospective employees often consider benefits tied to their terms of employment to consider whether they join your workforce as the employer or not. This is very crucial especially in the modern market where job searchers have many different options to choose from.

2. Employee retention

Offering comprehensive employment benefits helps retain your workforce by increasing the degree of job satisfaction and employee loyalty. Employees are less likely to abandon your firm if they feel that their needs are being met beyond their normal salaries and wages.

3. Health and wellness

Employee benefits such as health insurance, dental and vision facilitation assist in seeing to it that employees can access necessary medical care. Employee welfare programs and initiatives promote healthy lifestyles which consequently reduces absenteeism and increasing results and productivity.

4. Financial security

Employee benefits such as retirement benefits, life assurance and health saving accounts provide financial wellness for employees and their families. These benefits help employees make necessary arrangements and plans for the future and protect them against unforeseen circumstances.

5. Employee morale and productivity

Employees are more likely to be content and engaged at work when they feel valued and cared for. Providing employee benefits and perks like paid time off, retirement programs, and health insurance can encourage loyalty and morale among staff members. Employees are more likely to be effective and productive at work when they are motivated. This assists the employer in realizing positive results from their workforce and boost employee engagement.

6. Legal compliance

Certain employee benefits are mandatory to the employer based on the jurisdiction in which they operate. Compliance to these statutory regulations helps avoid legal issues and demonstrates the organization’s commitment to fair and standard employment practices.

7. Work-life balance

Employee benefits and perks such as flexible working hours, paid time off and parental leave help employees create a balance between their personal life and professional life.  This consequently leads to increased job satisfaction and reduced burnout.

8. Company reputation

Inheriting robust employee benefits help in enhancing a company’s name and reputation as a desirable place to work. The benefit of this is that it helps in building and improving the organization’s name and brand to more attractive and talented employees and quality customers.

Employee Benefits Trust

An employee benefit trust (also known as employee share trust) is a discretionally structure established by companies to provide various benefits to their employees, relatives and dependents. Employee benefits trusts are typically set up as independent trusts and they hold assets that are used to fund employee benefits such as bonuses, pensions and stock options.

An employee benefit trust is put in place by an employer to hold and manage assets on behalf of the employees. It is structured as a trust where the company acts as the settlor, trustees manage the trust and employees are the beneficiaries. 

Trustees in an employee benefits trust manage trust assets independently of the settlor company. They invest, distribute and administer trust assets for the benefit of the beneficiaries. Trustees perform their operations in accordance with the trust deed and with utmost adherence to all the relevant regulations.

How Does Employee Benefits Trust Work?

Although the settlor company can make recommendations on how trust assets should be used, they do not have a direct control over the Employee benefits trust. Employee benefits trusts are typically funded by contributions or limited resource loans from the company which trustees invest as per the trust deed, often in shares, loan notes or other securities within the company. These initiatives are majorly intended to benefit the beneficiaries. Employee benefits trusts are designed in a dynamic mode and are adaptable over time to match the changing needs of the company.

Purpose of an Employee Benefits Trust

  1. Share schemes

Employee benefits trust is often used to hold shares for employee share schemes.

  1. Bonuses and incentives

Employee benefits trust manages and distributes bonuses and incentives to beneficiaries in a structured manner.

  1. Succession planning

Employee benefits trusts help in business succession planning, especially in family-owned enterprises.

  1. Compliance

An employee benefits trust ensures compliance to satisfy regulatory and corporate governance requirements. Employee benefits trusts offer tax advantages in compliance with the tax laws and regulations based on their local statutory.

Streamline Your Employee Perks and Benefits Management

Employee benefits and perks are very crucial and require the best and professional hand in its application. You can inspire long-term loyalty and attract best talent with comprehensive perks and benefits. As it can be tasking for your human resource team to manage these employee benefits and also cope with their day-to-day operations, you as the employer may opt to entrust these processes to professions. 

The Best Employee Benefits Software

Workpay is a leading human resource service provider that provides you with the best employee management solution across Africa. You can ensure a streamlined mode in employee benefits management by partnering with us.We have integrated all of your benefits, including health insurance, early wage access, discounted services, pension plans, and more, into one platform to make your management easier and less time-consuming.

Workpay provides you with a wide range of features to ensure that your employee benefits plans provide an engaging and satisfying experience for your employees in the following ways;

  1. Inspiring your employees to work toward better health with a comprehensive health plan

Workpay provides you with flexible and comprehensive health plans that expose you the following merits as the employer;

  • Cross-platform engagement

You can enable your employees to engage you anytime, anywhere, and whenever they need it by providing flexible and accessible health management support on any device. 

  • Custom experience

Workpay provides you with a dynamic and adaptable health plans that are tailored to the specific needs of each of your employees.

  • Build trust

Workpay's effective health-plans management solutions will provide your employees with daily, long-term support that they will appreciate. This consequently assists you as the employer in building employtee trust.

  1. Early wage access

With Workpay you can promote your employees' financial well-being by providing early wage access. This aspect gives you the employer the following merits.

  • Improved productivity

Reduce your employees' financial stress and motivate them with early wage access to encourage them to give their best.

  • Attract hires

Set yourself apart from the competition by providing early wage access, which will increase job applications and attract top talent.

  • Retain talent 

Providing early wage access benefits through Workpay will ensure your employees' loyalty and prevent them from seeking alternative employment.

  1. Best saving and pension plans

Workpay provides you with a scheme where you as the employer can choose a pension or retirement plan that suits your business and ensure your employees’ future is secure.

Advantages of Using Workpay

Workpay offers solutions for all your human resource management needs. Automation and seamless integration between the features will save you time, headache, and money.

  1. Mobile access

Workpay offers you with an edge of conducting operations and accessing information at any place without any time constraint. We provide you with a user-friendly mobile app, where your employees can access and use their perks from anywhere and at any time.

  1. Maximize value

With the application of our software, you can conveniently make smart and timely decisions on perks and employee benefits as we provide you with the best professionals to partner with you in the process.

  1. Automization 

Use our seamless digital platform to eliminate manual data entry and speed up the enrollment process.

  1. Limited direct contact

The contact between the employer and the employee is minimized as the employee only needs to access information on perks and employee benefits on their mobile apps without necessarily having to directly contact the human resource team.

  1. Centralized operations

Workpay provides you with a dashboard where all information and employee activities are centralized and thus simplifying operations for your human resource team.

Conclusion

Employee benefits management is very pivotal in enhancing a productive and compliant human resource environment. Every firm requires setting up schemes that offer them a competitive edge in their operations. Firms should ensure that they remain compliant with regulations governing employee benefits. Elite businesses need to ensure that they partner dynamic and up-to-date employee benefit trustees to conduct operations for them. Partner with workpay today and stand a chance to experience the best results of effective employee perks and benefits management.

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Workpay is a HR and Payroll software company that offers time & attendance, payroll, human resource, leave, expenses and remote teams solutions to businesses across Africa.

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