In 2023, 33% of global employees are actively engaged at work, leaving a staggering $1.9 trillion in lost productivity globally.
Employee engagement and satisfaction are two of the most powerful levers companies can pull to improve morale, productivity, and retention.
But they’re not the same thing. Satisfaction reflects how content someone is in their role; engagement reflects how committed and energized they are to do their best work.
You can have satisfied employees who are quietly disengaged. That’s why investing in impactful benefits over surface-level remote work perks and flashy incentives is the path to long term engagement.
The Current State of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement today is in trouble. According to Gallup, engagement dropped to just 21% globally in 2024, and the outlook for managers is especially concerning.
As Gallup puts it, "If manager engagement continues to decline, it won’t stop with managers, and it won’t stop with engagement. The productivity of the world’s workplace is at risk."
When engagement grows, so do performance, retention, and morale. This isn’t accomplished through the latest fun perks. Employees are looking for stability, clarity, and support that actually makes a difference.
Enter financial wellness.
At Your Money Line, we focus on financial stress, the #1 source of workplace distraction and anxiety. Our solution isn’t bells and whistles. It’s expert coaching and real tools that build security and confidence.
Just ask Thompson Thrift. Since partnering with Your Money Line, their engagement metrics are up, stress is down, and employees feel like someone is finally listening.
Top Benefits & Perks Driving Employee Satisfaction
The old playbook of performative perks is done. Here are the types of benefits that are actually moving the needle right now:
- Financial Stability: Employees want help managing student loans, budgeting, saving, and getting out of debt because financial stress is killing focus and morale.
- Mental Health Support: Access to counseling, therapy stipends, and mental health days are helping employees stay well.
- Family Benefits: Paid leave, childcare stipends, and fertility coverage for supporting families are building long-term loyalty.
- Career Growth: Employees crave growth. Learning stipends, mentorship, and real promotion paths keep people invested.
- Flexibility and Boundaries: Flexibility is respect. Whether it’s remote work options or protected time off, people want control over how they work.
Below, we’ll break this down with the top 20 most requested and high-impact perks. This is based on qualitative research from employee communities, crowdsourced feedback, and engagement data.
These are the benefits employees say actually matter.
- Financial Wellness Programs
Financial stress can be a productivity killer. Our 2025 Employee Financial Behavior Report shows that 50% of employees are distracted by money worries, and most feel anxious about it every single day.
Your Money Line offers real human support and personalized tools. With the right support, your team can stop worrying about money and start focusing on work.
- Flexible Work Arrangements
Employees want flexibility, not just in where they work, but in how and when they work. That shift isn't a trend, it's a standard. And the impact is clear.
According to Gallup, 61% of hybrid workers report less burnout or fatigue. That translates to more focus, better work, and teams that actually stick around.
Flexibility today goes beyond remote work. It includes flexible hours, compressed workweeks, core hours, Flex Fridays, and hybrid schedules that help people thrive in their lives outside of the office.
Employees are building their expectations around this. And when companies meet them, they have an advantage. Organizations that prioritize flexibility are retaining top performers.
- Professional Development Opportunities
Employees want to grow. They want to learn new skills, take on bigger challenges, and see a future with your company. But too many don’t feel supported in that journey even though career growth consistently ranks as one of the most valued benefits.
This growth can look like:
- Learning stipends for courses or certifications. Give employees the freedom to choose what they want to learn, on their terms.
- Conference tickets to stay current in the field. These events fuel inspiration, spark new ideas, and expand professional networks.
- Clear internal promotional paths. When people see a path forward, they’re more likely to stay and grow with you.
- Structured mentorship programs that pair rising talent with experienced leaders. Mentorship builds confidence, accelerates learning, and strengthens culture.
- Tuition reimbursement for degrees or advanced training. This can remove financial barriers and signal long-term investment in employee growth.
- Ongoing upskilling opportunities tied to evolving roles. Keep teams sharp by aligning training with real-world business needs.
- Mental Health & Wellness Benefits
Mental health support has shifted in recent years from optional to essential. As we continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic, employees are dealing with more than just deadlines and workloads. Employers are starting to respond. Most now offer some form of mental health support, and that shift matters.
As Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq, Executive Director of the American Psychiatric Association, put it: "We spend a good amount of our time at work, whether we’re in offices or remote settings. We’re heartened to see more employers recognize that accessible mental health care matters for their employees, and employers can be one of the most important drivers for changing the mental health landscape."
But employees are looking for more. They want real therapy stipends, in addition to wellness apps. They want flexible mental health days without stigma or pushback.
Employees want burnout prevention built into how managers lead and simple, stigma-free EAP access when they need it most.
Your Money Line plays a role here too. By integrating financial coaching with mental health outcomes, we help reduce stress at the financial root, where a lot of anxiety begins.
- Work-Life Balance Perks
Paid time off sounds great on paper, especially when it’s unlimited, but in reality, many employees don’t take it. Without clear expectations and visible support from leadership, people may feel guilty stepping away.
That’s why clarity and communication matter. When policies are specific and consistently reinforced by managers, employees feel confident using the benefits available to them. This involves making sure people know they can actually use the available benefits.
This can look like structured sabbaticals, floating holidays that respect cultural and personal needs, and realistic parental leave.
Companies with strong work-life balance programs retain talent, boost morale, and create a culture where people feel like their lives outside work actually matter.
- Recognition and Financial Incentives
A quick shoutout in a meeting might feel good in the moment, but it doesn’t move the needle if it’s the only recognition employees get. People want to feel seen, not just socially, but financially.
Employee recognition can be more meaningful if it’s consistent and tied to real outcomes. According to research from the Achievers Workforce Institute, when employees are recognized monthly, retention triples compared to those who are never recognized. That kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident, it comes from building a culture that values both the work and the people doing it.
But financial recognition still matters. Spot rewards, performance bonuses, and profit sharing are all powerful ways to say, “we see your effort, and it matters.”
When recognition is done right, it drives engagement, loyalty, and a workplace people want to be part of.
READ MORE: Workforce Management Strategies in Volatile Times
- Career Advancement Pathways
Career advancement is highly valued by employees. When employees are growing and learning, engagement comes easily.
LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning report backs this up. Companies with strong internal mobility programs, where employees can move up or develop new skills, retain talent at a much higher rate. It shows people that there’s a future here.
Build clear pathways to promotions, make space for lateral moves, and prioritize mentorship that helps employees see what’s possible. Add structured upskilling so people are ready for what’s next, whether it’s at your company or beyond.
- Childcare and Family Support
For working parents, especially moms, family responsibilities are still the biggest source of stress. Managing school pickups, sick kids, and childcare gaps while keeping up at work is both difficult and exhausting. And despite years of conversation about work-life balance, much of corporate America still hasn’t caught up.
There’s some movement, though. According to Care.com’s 2024 Benefits Survey, 56% of employers are prioritizing child care benefits, up 10% from 2023. That’s a good sign, but the bar is still low.
Progressive employers are offering childcare assistance that includes backup care stipends to actually cover costs.
Inclusive family planning benefits, covering fertility treatments, adoption, and surrogacy, can also help more employees feel seen and supported.
- Lifestyle and Convenience Perks
Lifestyle perks aren’t the most important part of your benefits strategy, but when they’re done right, they remove friction and make daily life easier. That ease adds up. It helps employees focus on their work instead of juggling logistics.
Examples include:
- Commuter benefits like monthly transit credits or parking reimbursements can make getting to work less of a headache.
- Free meals or subsidized lunches give teams one less thing to plan during the day.
- Pet-friendly policies help reduce stress for animal lovers, and home office setup stipends support productivity for remote staff.
But these perks shouldn’t exist just to look good on the company’s About Us page. There should be a clear, thoughtful reason behind each one. When convenience perks are built with purpose, based on what your team actually needs, they stop being fluff and start being useful.
- DEI Initiatives
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives is an ongoing commitment that has to be backed by action, investment, and accountability.
What makes the difference is real effort. That could look like employee resource groups that are funded, visible, and supported by leadership. It might also involve offering inclusive benefits that reflect a range of healthcare needs. It could also mean providing wellness resources that are culturally aware and relevant.
And lastly, setting clear DEI leadership goals and actively tracking progress can go a long way in making that effort meaningful.
McKinsey’s research shows that companies that prioritize inclusion see higher innovation, better retention, and stronger financial performance. That’s not a coincidence. Inclusion drives impact for people and for business.
READ MORE: Maximizing Financial Wellness for Long-term Success
- Volunteer Time Off (VTO)
Today’s workforce, especially younger generations, often looks beyond the paycheck. They want purpose. They want to feel like their work and their company stand for something beyond profit. That desire for meaning shows up in how they choose employers, and it shapes how long they stay.
Offering Volunteer Time Off (VTO) is one way to meet that need. It gives employees flexible PTO to support causes they care about, creating space for social impact without large costs to the company. It’s a cost-effective benefit that builds goodwill, boosts morale, and reinforces that your organization values more than just output.
VTO can also support team bonding. For example, a department that spends a Friday volunteering at a local food bank walks away more connected to the community and to one another.
When done right, VTO fuels employee engagement, reinforces company values, and helps people feel proud of where they work.
- Learning Tools and Tech Access
It’s hard to expect great performance when employees don’t have the right tools. Outdated laptops, clunky systems, or missing office gear can drag productivity down fast. Providing the right resources can not only boost productivity but also show employees that their time and contributions are truly valued.
The fix can be straightforward: empower people with what they need to succeed and keep growing. That might include access to learning platforms like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning for ongoing upskilling. Offering monthly stipends for books, courses, or certifications also shows support so employees can grow in ways that matter to them.
For remote workers, ergonomic support like standing desks or quality chairs can make a real difference in daily comfort and focus. And high-quality tech onboarding with up-to-date devices and support can help set the tone from day one.
READ MORE: How HR Can Create a Financially Literate Workforce
- Credit Monitoring and Credit Health Tools
Helping employees understand and improve their credit can have a powerful ripple effect. Credit affects loan approvals, insurance rates, and even job offers in some industries. When employees don’t know where they stand or how to improve, that stress bleeds into every part of life, including their work.
That’s where credit monitoring and fraud detection tools come in. When employees can track their credit and catch issues early, you’re helping them get in the driver’s seat of monitoring. Plus, prevention equals empowerment. It gives people control over their financial future and helps them make better decisions with confidence.
- Student Loan Repayment Support
Debt can be a quiet burden on employees’ wallets, their mental health, and career choices, resulting in day-to-day stress. Offering education assistance is one way to acknowledge the real challenges employees face and show a willingness to support them.
Even modest contributions can help give employees a sense of progress and show them they’re not navigating it alone. That kind of support can go a long way in building loyalty and trust.
And it pays off for companies too. Student loan assistance is a powerful tool for retention and recruiting, especially among younger workers who rank debt support high on their list of desired benefits. It's a simple way to say we understand and we’re here to help.
READ MORE: Top Examples of Clear and Achievable Financial Goals
- Emergency Savings Support
Many Americans are one unexpected bill away from crisis. A car repair, a medical co-pay, a rent increase, and suddenly, everything’s on the line.
Bankrate report reveals that in 2025, 59% of Americans don’t have enough savings to cover a $1,000 emergency expense. Support for building a rainy day fund is both a wellness and retention benefit. When employees have financial resilience, they’re less likely to miss work, more able to focus, and far less stressed overall.
One way to help is by offering automated savings programs that make it easy to set money aside, along with incentives for hitting savings milestones. Pair that with real financial coaching, and employees can build lasting habits that give them peace of mind.
- Pet Insurance and Pet Friendly Policies
More employees today are planning their lives around their pets, and when workplaces acknowledge that, it can build loyalty and real goodwill. These nontraditional perks may seem small, but the emotional return can be significant.
Providing pet insurance, occasional dog-friendly office days, or even giving discounts on pet supplies all show you understand what matters to your team.
These kinds of employee benefits might be nontraditional, but they can signal a culture of empathy and understanding.
- Anniversary and Milestone Perks
There’s something powerful about being recognized for sticking around. Think of the feeling when a company marks your five-year work anniversary with a heartfelt note, a thoughtful gift, or an extra day off. It doesn’t have to be flashy, it just has to be real.
These kinds of loyalty rewards are a low-cost, high-impact way to celebrate the people who help your business grow. They boost employee engagement, strengthen culture, and give teams something to look forward to.
A great way to approach this is with a laddered system: small gifts or shoutouts at year one, a meaningful reward and extra PTO at year three, a weekend getaway or bigger gesture at year five and beyond. Each milestone is a chance to say, “You matter,and we want you here for the long haul.”
- Digital Health and Preventive Care
As remote and hybrid work become the norm, employees appreciate health benefits that match their new routines. That means care that’s accessible from anywhere without long wait times or commutes.
Digital health access is now a core part of how people manage their well-being. As a forward-thinking employer, you can lead by offering health benefits that meet the demands of modern work and real life. This could include:
- 24/7 Telehealth and Virtual Urgent Care: Employees can access care anytime, from anywhere. That flexibility means they get help when they need it without losing a whole workday.
- Preventive Care Incentives: Encouraging regular checkups and screenings helps catch health issues early. It supports long-term wellness and reduces overall healthcare costs.
- Wearable Support and App Integrations: Syncing with devices like Fitbits or Apple Watches keeps employees engaged in their health. These tools make it easier to track progress and stay motivated.
- Digital-First Wellness Tools: Health tracking apps and virtual resources meet employees where they are. They make wellness more accessible, especially for remote and hybrid teams.
- Personalized Total Rewards Statements
Have you ever heard an employee say, “I didn’t even know we had that benefit.”? It happens more often than you’d think, and it’s an opportunity to provide clarity
HR Teams work hard to offer incredible benefits through PTO, health benefits, retirement contributions, wellness perks, and more. When employees clearly see and understand the full scope of their compensation, they’re more likely to appreciate and engage with them.
Quarterly or annual personalized total rewards statements can help make that visibility possible. They show the full scope of each person’s pay and benefits. This level of transparency builds trust. When people understand the full investment being made in them, they’re more likely to stay, engage, and grow.
- Identity Theft Insurance and Protection
With more employees working remotely, digital security has naturally become part of the broader workplace conversation. As our personal and professional lives blend online, many employees are looking for support that helps them stay protected in every aspect of life.
That’s where identity protection comes in, not just as a response to risk but as a thoughtful benefit that reflects how people live and work. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that identity theft costs victims who experience a financial loss an average of $1,343. That’s a major source of anxiety that spills into work.
Companies that offer strong fraud protection and identity coverage can help ease that stress and show they care about their employees' financial safety.
Tools like credit monitoring, fraud alerts, identity restoration support, and safety education can make a meaningful difference.
Your Money Line’s financial wellness platform offers identity theft insurance and recovery tools, giving employees peace of mind wherever they work and the freedom to focus on what matters most.
The Future of Employee Benefits
As the workforce continues to evolve, so will the expectations around top employee benefits. Changing demographics, new work habits, and rising employee expectations are already reshaping how organizations think about workplace perks.
The future means offering smarter, more human-centered support.
It’s a shift toward empathy, adaptability, and trust. At Your Money Line, we’re helping companies build the kind of support systems today’s employees actually want, offering personalized financial coaching and integrated wellness tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can small businesses compete with larger companies in offering benefits?
Take small steps, focusing on personalization and impact. A flexible PTO policy or financial wellness program like Your Money Line can make a huge difference without breaking the bank.
What’s the most cost-effective way to improve employee engagement?
Financial wellness programs are a low-cost way to support employees by reducing money-related stress, which can improve focus, morale, and retention.
How does financial stress impact employee productivity?
Over 60% of employees say financial stress affects their work focus. It leads to errors, absenteeism, and lower performance.
Can offering too many perks backfire?
Yes. When perks feel performative or no one uses them, they create distrust. Quality > quantity. Survey employees and focus on benefits that solve real problems that are most impactful for their population.
