The workforce endured a lot of change throughout 2022, not only impacting where and when employees work, but the kind of benefits they expect from employers, too.
The biggest employer takeaway from this past year is that traditional retention tactics like promotions and compensation won't necessarily keep their employees from leaving their jobs — but investing more in their lives could. According to a 2022 MetLife study, 73% of employees say that a wider benefit offering would keep them at their present employer for longer.
"We are building an experience that is truly centered around what our people have told us they want and need," Kim Jones, U.S. talent strategy and people experience leader at PwC, shared with EBN earlier this year. "They told us it's meaningful relationships, support for flexibility in their workday, a purpose, a sense of belonging and a balanced workload."
Read more:22 HR and benefit lessons we learned in 2022
Forty percent of employers made changes to their benefit plans this year according to a 2022 survey conducted by research non-profit Integrated Benefits Institute. Forty-two percent added remote work options, 27% added EAP or behavioral health options and 20% added some form of caregiver leave.
"During the pandemic, everything was shut down and people were really fearful," Tracy Allie, senior HR manager for Allstate's Good Life benefits program, recently told EBN. "All of those things coming at our employees over the last couple of years haven't just gone away, so we wanted to continue to look at and invest in care."
In an effort to cater to employees' personal and professional lives, employers including Amazon, Walmart and Cleo revamped their benefits in 2022 so that they better meet the new needs of their workforce. See what they changed and what other companies offer competitive benefits: