While companies eye the bottom line when it comes to employee benefits, more are watching waistlines, too: 34 percent of employers now do staff fitness competitions, and 13 percent hand out free fitness bands, all to keep workers healthier and insurance costs down. “For every dollar a company invests in wellness, they get about $3.46 in return,” says Bruce Elliott, manager of compensation and benefits at the Society for Human Resource Management.
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Other perks, such as mental-health coverage, are on the upswing due to the Affordable Care Act, still others because they reduce costs (an annual retirement-plan match is paid out only if employees stay the full year; unlimited time off means no vacation liability on the books of a start-up). Here are a handful of benefits trending up or down, based on a 2015 SHRM study:
| On the Rise | On the Wane |
| Fitness challenges | Unhealthy snacks |
| Mental-health coverage | Nap rooms |
| Health savings accounts | Flexible-spending accounts |
| Spot bonuses | Employee stock-purchase plan |
| Annual 401(k) match | Per-payroll matching |
| Take-your-pet-to-work day | Take-your-child-to-work day |
| Pet insurance | Subsidized eldercare |
| Unlimited paid time off | Vacation cash-out |
| Casual dress | Dry-cleaning services |
| Volunteer programs | Mentoring programs |
| Telecommuting | Company-owned cars |
| Phased retirement | Pension plans |
| On-site vegetable gardens | On-site subsidized cafeterias |
| Standing desks | Alternative-medicine Coverage |
| Contraceptive coverage | On-site child care |
This article appears in our November 2015 issue of Washingtonian.
