UK Employees Say Time Off Each Month is Best Wellness Benefit

A  2022 study in the UK, conducted by Remote confirms mental health is top of the agenda for UK employees. They favor time off as a key wellness benefit. Global HR and payroll company Remote surveyed 10,000 full-time employees across the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US.  The study revealed the most desirable employee benefits across genders, job roles, industries, and parental status.

What are the top five employee wellness benefits in the UK, USA, France, Germany, and the Netherlands?

Other highlights from the research

• Private health insurance is the most important employee benefit in the USA

• Remote work options are most valued by employees in the Netherlands

• 63% of all employees want contributions from their employer for their home office setup.

Remote Unveils New Study of Most Popular Employee Benefits

The most desirable employee benefits across genders, job roles, industries, and parental status include:

• Flexible working hours are the most important benefit to employees in 2022

• Private health insurance is the most important employee benefit in the USA

• Remote work options are most valued by employees in the Netherlands

• 63% of all employees want contributions from their employer for their home office setup.

The rise of remote work has created new opportunities for global talent to work for anyone from anywhere. As a result, companies are facing a greater demand to offer robust, equitable, and compliant benefit packages to attract and retain the best talent around the world.

Three most wanted benefits

Whether an employer’s primary aim is to attract top talent or retain it, flexible working hours, company-sponsored retirement plans or pensions, and early finishes on Fridays are the top three perks to consider included in their benefits packages.

It is crucial for employers who wish to attract diverse global talent to develop customized benefits packages based on what is most valued in each country where they wish to hire.

Paid time off

Employees in the US in particular see paid time off for self-care and mental health as very important, as well as private and family health insurance. This is because the healthcare industry is mostly privatized in the US, and the cost of insurance and medical care can be exorbitant.

Flexible hours & a 4-day working week are the most desirable employee benefits

Employees who currently have flexible work are less likely to switch to a company without it. Additionally, those who do not have flexible work opportunities at their current job are more likely to be attracted to jobs that do offer this benefit.

The survey shows that flexible work hours and a 4-day work week are more essential to employees who identify as female than those who identify as male. This reinforces the need for employers to offer more flexible options that actively empower their female workforce and support their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

To what extent do you agree the following should be provided by your workplace?	Percentage of male employees	Percentage of female employees
Flexible work hours	74.15%	78.79%
4-day working week	59.55%	66.96%
Private health insurance	59.22%	64.98%
Family Health Insurance	58.00%	66.34%
Remote work from anywhere policy	55.86%	57.61%
Private Life Insurance	54.79%	57.88%
Paid self-care days or time off for mental health	54.46%	63.09%
Private Dental Insurance	54.46%	60.70%
Miscarriage leave	53.26%	63.69%
Childcare assistance (employees can pay care expenses for children with pre-tax money)	52.40%	61.38%

The state of remote and flexible working status in 2022

The importance of remote and flexible working is undeniable, but which employees value these benefits most?

Employees with and without children both value flexible work hours

Flexible working is the most important benefit to both parents and non-parents, highlighting the importance of allowing all employees the freedom to work in a way that best suits their individual needs.

Employees in almost every job function want flexible work hours, with HR and IT employees wanting this the most

Flexible working is seen as the most critical benefit for employees in every job function except production and other roles, with 78.74% of HR professionals and 78.07% of IT professionals seeing the benefit as important.

Employees in the Netherlands value remote work the most

Dutch employers are more used to their staff adopting a fully-remote or hybrid working model. Even before the pandemic, the Netherlands maintained a highly flexible working culture. The U.K., Germany, and the U.S. follow behind the Netherlands. Remote work is seen as less significant to employees in France, whether offered partially or all of the time.

Best wellness benefits for employees across Europe and the US

Across all the 10,000 employees we surveyed, healthy food in the office, meal deliveries, and meal stipends, as well as time off work each month for mental health improvement, were seen as the most significant wellness benefits.

References

Remote, the leader in global hiring and payroll, has conducted research to discover which benefits are most valued by employees in 2022. To see the full research, please visit https://remote.com/future-employee-benefits.