3 Unique ways companies are showcasing their work-life balance
In a recent report by Honeypot.io, Work-life balance was identified as the most important indicator for developer happiness at work, regardless of experience, age, gender, position, and region. 75% of developers cited this factor as “very important;” however only 39% consider themselves “very satisfied.”
While this study focused specifically on developers, this is a benefit that’s becoming increasingly more in demand for candidates across the board. In fact, a study by Fidelity shows that Millennials are willing to take a pay cut in favour of better work-life balance!
So what does that mean for your employer brand? If your organization prides itself on having a great work-life balance, you should be flaunting that on your careers site and social media to attract in-demand talent. To provide you with some inspiration here, we’re sharing three examples of organizations creating great content that shows they value providing employees with a good work-life balance:
REI: “Yay Days”
REI believes that “a life outdoors is a life well lived.” That’s why they offer “Yay Days” — paid days off for all employees to get outside and play or participate in an environmental stewardship program. REI employees get two “Yay Days” per year, which means they can take one day every six months to use as an “outdoor hall pass.”
We love that “Yay Days” are tied to the company’s mission and values, which is a great way to reinforce your employee value proposition (EVP), while also providing an actionable way to encourage employees to get out, get some fresh air, and recharge, rejuvenate.
REI offers all their employees two paid days off to get outside and play or participate in environmental stewardship.
Why their content works:
REI’s career site features a video of employees sharing stories of how they spent their Yay Days. This is an excellent approach because websites that feature videos and images are proven to increase Google search rankings, the length of time visitors spend on your page, and conversions (the number of people who actually take action after visiting your site).
Video content is also a great way to “show” not “tell'' what sets your organization apart. Employee story videos like REI’s can showcase employee stories and perspectives, highlight the diversity of your organization, and illustrate your core values to help candidates feel a better connection to your organization.
Qualtrics: Experience bonus
Qualtrics makes sure that employees take time to recharge by offering each of their employees $1,500 annually to spend on a “bucket list” adventure. The company also has a blog series that highlights all the different ways that employees have used their bonus, including a family trip to Disney World, becoming a dog owner, and launching a podcast!
Qualtrics provides their employees with a $1,500 experience bonus to spend on a “bucket list” adventure.
Providing employees with a bonus that’s tied to an action, such as taking time off to check an item off your bucket list, is a great way to incentivize taking well-deserved time off.
Why their content works:
Creating a blog series is an effective approach because quality blog content can help improve SEO rankings and increase traffic to your site. Qualtrics’ approach to sharing stories of how employees have used the bonus is not only an excellent way to encourage and inspire employees to take advantage of the benefit but also helps to differentiate their perks and benefits from their hiring competitors.
Cadence: Paid volunteer days
Cadence offers its team members five paid days of volunteer time off (VTO) each year. From helping out at their child’s school, working with a charitable organization or faith-based group, or lending a hand when disaster strikes, Cadence’s employees use more than 15,000 hours of VTO each year to help make a difference.
Cadence provides their employees with five days of VTO.
Millennials and Gen Z’s are quickly becoming the most populous age group in the U.S. labor market. These generations have a strong sense of purpose and care deeply about social responsibility. However, many volunteering activities take place during the workday, making it challenging for employees to balance volunteer time and work commitments. Offering VTO is a great way to help employees achieve this balance, while also promoting your commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Why their content works:
In 2020, stay at home orders and social distancing measures forced many organizations to move to a remote-first workplace. This also impacted volunteerism and the ways that people could help. Cadence took to social media and their blog to outline how their team members adapted to the new virtual world and how they were able to continue to support their communities, charities, and organizations they care most about.
Refining your employee value proposition (EVP) and culture content to reflect your new reality is extremely important to communicating authentic messages about your organization to candidates so that you can successfully attract and retain talent for the long-term.
For many organizations in certain industries, having a strong work-life balance is becoming increasingly important. If this is an area your organization cares strongly about and you have programs in place that support your employees here, then you should be creating great content like these examples to showcase that! With perks such as remote work and flexible hours no longer being a competitive advantage, you need to continue to find new and creative ways to communicate your benefits to your talent audiences to stand out from hiring competitors and attract qualified talent to your organization.
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About The Employer Brand Shop
The Employer Brand Shop is a boutique recruitment marketing and employer brand agency located in Kitchener, Canada. Our team helps organizations around the world attract and engage talent using creative marketing strategies