Some of the world’s most successful businesses have revolutionised their approaches when it comes to attracting new talent. Thankfully, more and more often we see companies prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of their employees, whether this be, yoga classes, discounted gym memberships, or meditation apps. And now, smart, flexible absence management is being recognised by employers as not just a benefit, but a must-have for their employees and their employer brand.
Businesses prioritising absence in their benefits are understanding the need that people want more downtime and opportunities to prioritise their own lives, health, and wellbeing. Here, we look at some amazing brands that are totally “absence minded”…
Timpson’s
Great Service by Great People. A tagline many people in the UK would agree with if you have ever needed to have a key cut, repair an old watch, or develop photos with the team at Timpson’s. And perhaps the secret in this service lies in the heart of their employer branding.
Absence and prioritising a proper work-life balance are encouraged from the top down for starters. With CEO, James Timpson promoting fantastic perks on social media, such as offering the staff their child’s first day back at school as an extra day of holiday. Acknowledging how important this day is for parents and letting them enjoy it, is a perfect example of how to promote a better work-life environment.
If you find our shops a bit short staffed this week, I’m sorry. We have a colleague benefit where you get an extra day off when your kids have their first day at school, so a number of colleagues are doing a very special job away from their shops!
— James Timpson (@JamesTCobbler) September 2, 2020
Employees that get engaged are rewarded with an additional week’s holiday for their honeymoon. And there is access to a dedicated mental health counsellor, and even monetary incentives to quit smoking! Investing in health, wellbeing and planned absences such as these in the present will pay off in the future through greater dedication and productivity in the workforce.
Innocent
Innocent smoothies made their name by making healthy drinks, incredibly tasty. So it comes as no surprise that the company promotes a healthy, mindful culture too. Alongside the ‘usual stuff’ Innocent provides their employees with health clubs, flexible working, and scholarships, that help those awarded achieve something they have always dreamed of. Alongside this, time is also given to individuals wishing to work for not-for-profits, working on projects close to the company’s heart.
Encouraging time off is crucial in today’s working world, and this is clear in Innocent’s mindful approach to absence. This along with showcasing members of staff in their working environment will encourage the right people to Innocent’s business. This has proven tricky over the past 10 months where lockdowns have pressed pause on the office environment, but Innocent’s ‘A film about working at Innocent’ is sure to get job seekers raring for an office revival.
Zoom
Arguably one of the biggest necessities when remote working became the norm back in March 2020, Zoom’s main value is to the happiness and care of their “customers, employees, company, community, and selves.”
And this is made clear in their employer value proposition, offering all employees unlimited time off, plus sick leave. What also stands out about Zoom is that the culture comes from the top, with the c-suite, and glassdoor reviews praising the attitude, work ethic, and overall happiness of their CEO.
Edays
We could hardly write a blog about how important absence is to employees and employer branding without mentioning our own brand! Here at Edays we really do believe “Absence Matters” and so we live and breathe it from the inside out, every day. We know how important it is to truly switch off, take time to re-charge and have fun. In addition to copious amounts of leave, we offer Edays employees ‘me-days’ for those days when we need a moment of important me time. In addition, we promote life-long learning with our love to learn days and welcome giving back to the community with our charitable volunteer days.
People no longer expect to work at the same company for years on end. Instead, they are looking for work environments that take note of their health and ensure they have a proper work-life balance, notice when hard work and stress lead to burnout, and provide the support and resources to encourage time off. Highlighting that “Absence Matters” in your employer branding is not just crucial in attracting the best talent, it also helps retain talent in the long-term.
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Harry is Head of Customer Success here at edays, helping organisations to get the very best out of their edays system. His experience in SaaS and HR brings valuable insight into how organisations can better manage their people, processes and productivity.