Foresight in benefits

What do we think about 2030? If we look ahead to the year 2030 – admittedly only seven years away – a lot can happen (just look at how our living and working situation changed during the pandemic, which in many ways would have been unthinkable just a few years earlier). As we look ahead to potential benefits in 2030, it may not be flying cars and communication via holograms that we see in front of us – but then what could it be? In this article, we take a closer look at what could be possible by speculating about the very best benefits of the future.

What determines benefits?

There are a variety of factors that influence which benefits are popular. And it is about everything from societal changes, to economic conditions and technological progress. Based on what we know now, and what we’ve learned over the past few years, we think it’s likely that the following benefits may increase in popularity:

Flexible workplaces

For those jobs where work from home is possible, the desire to be able to work from home one or a few days a week has completely exploded after the pandemic. But in our foresight, we take this a step further towards so-called remote commuting (some time in the office, some time somewhere else), towards even more flexible schedules (we believe that the adaptation to the “eight-to-five frame” for completed work will be phased out), and where possible even greater opportunities for remote work. If there is one thing we have seen in recent years, it is that more and more employees value their time to a greater extent than before.

Volunteer work during working hours

Many dream of, or feel the need to, help where needed, but lack the time to do so. By giving employees the opportunity to volunteer during work hours (while maintaining compensation), benefits are not only made for the company, but also for employees and non-profit organizations. A win-win-win, in other words.

Competence development and career development

As we all know, recruiting is costly, and many companies struggle to retain talent. We therefore believe that an expansion of the opportunities for employees to be able to develop and grow directly in the workplace will be a decisive factor for the work with retention, but also for being able to recruit new talent to the company. By investing in various training programs, mentoring initiatives and offering other training and development resources, employees can not only expand their learning in different areas, but also adapt to a market that is constantly changing.

More focus on mental health and well-being

Today, the focus of the wellness allowance is primarily on our physical health, where we see that gym memberships and massages are still very popular. But we also see wellness benefits that aim to protect mental health and general well-being growing in popularity and we predict this will continue to grow. Easily accessible therapy or hiring lifestyle coaches are two effective ways that employers can use to support employees’ mental health and well-being.

Household services for a more efficient life puzzle

There are many who ask themselves the question of how they are going to make the puzzle of life fit together and in the majority it is, for obvious reasons, employees with small children who have the hardest time. When we look ahead to 2030, we believe that companies will have to adapt even more than what is done today. We therefore consider it likely that benefits such as on-site childcare (for example at conferences), increasingly flexible work schedules and various types of family-friendly policies will be some of the benefits that will increase in demand to assist in streamlining the life puzzle. When it comes to maximizing the time we have every day, it’s also the little things that count to make the puzzle of life come together – which we can clearly see when benefits such as cleaning, or ordering grocery bags have become some of the benefits that have grown the most in popularity in recent years.

Health-oriented benefits

What do you think about the benefits of the future?

For the workplace of the future in 2030, it is important for HR and for the company as a whole to invest in its employees and encourage them to develop and lead a healthier lifestyle. And there are more ways to achieve the same than with lunch vouchers or free coffee.