Offering a compelling benefits package is essential in today’s job market. While planning for next year, whether you are looking to recruit top talent or retain the team you’ve built, it’s important to assess what will work best for your organization. Many organizations are rethinking traditional perks and embracing innovative benefits that reflect the evolving needs of their workforce.
Why Benefits Matter More Than Ever
According to the SHRM 2025 Employee Benefits Survey, employees continue to prioritize benefits beyond traditional offerings. Leave policies, retirement planning, and flexible work arrangements are consistently ranked as “extremely important.” Additionally, Forbes reports that employees are experiencing a “Great Detachment,” making engagement and well-being central to retention strategies. Whether you are a small nonprofit or a large company, your brand matters, and a top benefits package is a key piece of that brand.
Current Top Trending Benefits
Financial Benefits
- Lifestyle Savings Accounts (LSAs)
LSAs allow employees to spend employer-provided funds on wellness, fitness, and personal development. These accounts are gaining traction as part of personalized benefits packages. - Financial Wellness Programs
From Earned Wage Access to emergency savings accounts. Employers are offering financial education, retirement planning tools, and budgeting apps to employees to assist with improving their financial wellness. Forbes reports that 92% of employees are stressed about finances, and only 6% of workers can currently save for the future. Imagine how relieving some of that stress could improve productivity! - Wellbeing Stipends
Monthly stipends for mental health apps, fitness memberships, or ergonomic home office setups are becoming standard. Encouraging employees to care for their whole selves will ensure that your team will be holistically healthy. This could lead to less burnout, higher rates of employee satisfaction, and less stress on the job. - Childcare Assistance
With rising childcare costs, reimbursements and on-site childcare support are increasingly valued by working parents. SHRM found that in 2025 the number of businesses offering this benefit in some way increased to 54%. There are a few ways to accomplish this benefit; NFP explains that a “a dependent care assistance program (DCAP, also referred to as a dependent care FSA) is an employer-sponsored plan that pays or reimburses dependent care expenses incurred by the employee to enable both the employee and their spouse to work or look for work.” - Student Loan Repayment Assistance & Tuition Reimbursement
Employers are increasingly offering student loan repayment programs and tuition reimbursement to support continued education. These benefits not only reduce financial stress but also encourage professional development and long-term loyalty.
Work Experience Changes
- Hybrid and Remote Work
Hybrid and remote-first models are now baseline expectations. Companies offering asynchronous schedules and remote stipends are seeing higher retention. While not every organization can support fully remote work, assess what added flexibility can be available for your team, and is that a benefit that would make work better for your team. Or is that a benefit that your team desires. - Flexible Work Week
A four-day work week is the most talked about benefit in this area, and it can be accomplished in different ways. Some organizations offer four long days totaling 40 hours, while others might reduce hours down to 32 hours per week. Some studies have found that reducing hours helped to create more efficiencies at work and eliminate time spent on unnecessary activities. If 32 hours a week isn’t feasible, perhaps 37.5. Other fun ways to add some flexibility for your team is having Friday summer hours or increasing the number of days off around holidays. Teams can feel more innovative and connected to work, while decreasing burnout and keeping other costs down. - Sabbaticals
A sabbatical is an extended leave from work, typically offered to employees who have been with an organization for a significant period of time. During a sabbatical, employees remain employed and usually receive either their full salary or a percentage of it. Unlike unplanned career breaks that can create instability, sabbaticals give team members a structured opportunity to step away from work, recharge, and return ready to contribute at their best—without disrupting their careers or the team’s momentum. - Flex-tirement
Fortune found that the transition from full-time work to full-time retirement can feel very sudden and stark to some team members. With Baby Boomers making up a large percentage of the work force, it’s important to implement benefits that will support them now — and more generations in the future. Flex-tirement is a transition period of flexible work with “flexible hours, reduced workloads, and phased approaches to leaving the workforce” designed to make the transition smoother for those who are eligible to retire but not quite ready to leave work yet. This benefit for employees can also ease the burden for companies who need their expertise for special projects, succession planning, and training. Some things to consider with this benefit is managing part-time employees, if your organization doesn’t have policies for part-time work make sure to assess what gaps will need to be addressed while implementing this benefit.
Non-Traditional Insurance Benefits
- Pet Insurance
Pet insurance is a loyalty booster for pet-loving employees. It can be offered as a voluntary benefit for your team members. Over 70% of households have pets; check in with your team to see if they might be interested in this voluntary plan! - Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs)
These flexible, tax-advantaged plans allow employees to choose their own insurance while employers reimburse costs. ICHRAs can be a cost savings option for businesses looking to provide alternative insurance benefits for their employees. ICHRAs are managed by benefits providers; reach out to an ICHRA expert to help you navigate setting up this benefit.
How to Choose the Right Benefits for Your Team
Step 1: Assess What Your Team Wants
Conducting an employee benefits survey is the best way to understand your workforce’s preferences. Use a mix of satisfaction, engagement, and need-based questions to gather actionable insights.
Key areas to cover include:
- Health and wellness
- Financial support
- Work-life balance
- Leave policies
- Non-traditional perks
Step 2: Evaluate Budget and Feasibility
Once you know what your team values, assess your budget. Can you reallocate funds from underused benefits? Are there tax-advantaged options like ICHRAs or student loan repayment assistance?
Step 3: Pilot and Evaluate Success
Start small. Pilot new benefits with a subset of employees, gather feedback, and refine your offerings. Use utilization analytics to track key metrics like engagement and ROI. And most importantly, continue to ask your team for feedback!
The future of work is evolving toward greater personalization, flexibility, and holistic support. By designing benefits that truly reflect employee needs, you’ll enhance both recruitment and retention—creating an environment where your team can flourish.
Unsure how to begin? Purple Ink is ready to collaborate with you in developing a benefits package that stands out and meets the needs of top talent. Reach out here.