For many finance professionals, they believe that a good company is one that supports them as an employee. In turn, these individuals have the desire to help the company succeed by fulfilling their role and responsibility to the best of their ability. The question every company needs to ask, then, is what can we do to help our employees feel supported?

The answer lies in two areas: small perks and caring culture. In the demanding financial industry, where employees are seeing their coworkers more than their own family, it is important to make life at work enjoyable as well as contribute benefits to their personal lives. Offering small perks has shown to pay off for companies. In fact, “49% of employees say that receiving perks/benefits means they know that their employers are invested in them as individuals” (Clutch).

As for the caring culture, a company that values self-care and a healthy work-life balance relieves employees of the pressures to overwork themselves. According to Forbes, nearly 20% of North American workers worry their bosses won’t think they are hardworking if they take regular lunch breaks, while 13% worry their co-workers will judge them” (Forbes). These types of worries hinder advisors and wealth managers from performing at their highest level.

The finance industry can also always use more inclusiveness – with beer Fridays or ping pong tables often applying more pressure than freedom to employees or just going unused. The common perks many offices have adopted from “Google” culture are falling flat with new hires and diversity initiatives – so what can organizations do to appeal to all their top performers. 

In the end, wealth management firms and financial companies can take small steps in showing their advisors their support through these 5 small, inclusive perks that can be enjoyed in and out of the office.

Internet for employees on flights or while away from the office

Leaving the office to travel can add to employees’ stress of meeting deadlines. Unexpected things can happen while traveling or being away at a client site – but making these unforeseen occurrences more comfortable by providing reliable internet can help calm the situation. They will be able to stay in touch with their team at the office and complete any tasks remotely. With internet access, issues with travel delays, like worries about catching up on missed work, will be alleviated. While giving them constant access to finish their work may be counterintuitive to giving them a healthy work-life balance, it can actually give them more free time once they’re home with family and friends.

Option to work remotely

The ability to work remotely is a small perk at no cost to companies that is greatly valued by employees who work better without distractions, have a tough commute, or have things that they need to be home to take care of. With so much communication being done over emails and phone calls, all necessary work can be done virtually as long as employees have the proper setup including access to collaborative software such as Slack and a conference call line. According to FlexJob, “75% of workers said they experience greater productivity at home because they encounter fewer distractions, fewer interruptions from colleagues (74%), less stress from commuting (71%) and less office politics (65%)” (FlexJob).

Occasional breakfast, snacks, or lunch provided

When employees do not pack their own food for the day, they can feel guilty for spending money on coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Home life can be extremely busy which can make it difficult to juggle getting into the office at a reasonable time with also being able to pack a lunch. Companies can help out in this area by occasionally providing food so that they can grab something quick while they are in the office. One idea would be to provide breakfast or lunch in the office once a week, this saves time for people who would have otherwise had to run out to grab something to eat and also gives everyone something to look forward to.

Child or dog care for last minute cancellations

Building a relationship with providers like Wag! and Care.com are great ways to ensure that employees can have a back-up babysitter or dog walker when they have someone who cancels on them. This will prevent missed meetings or last-minute notices that they won’t be in the office in order for them to care for their children or pet. More importantly, employees will be less worried about this type of crisis. Having relationships with a reliable company will also make employees feel comfortable about who will be watching their children and pets. It is important to make sure that employees feel at ease while they are at work so that they can have a productive and focused workday.

Monthly allowance for ride shares

Everyone has a different way of commuting to the office whether it be public transportation, car, bike, or walking. No matter the method, there are always issues that can arise like delays, weather, breakdowns, and more. A unique and helpful perk that a company can provide in this area is a monthly Lyft or Uber allowance. Employees will feel taken care of by the company when they need to get home safe, get to work quicker, or don’t want to take public transportation home when they stay in the office late. Ultimately, this small perk provides safety, convenience, and the ability to have more flexibility in their work schedule.

At Xtiva, we’re happy to offer this and more to our teams – and believe that happy people propel us all to achieve more in our professional development and the products we build. To learn more about positions available at Xtiva, check out our careers page.