In today’s hiring landscape, employers are moving beyondtraditional health and retirement benefits to embrace uniqueincentives that attract top talent. In particular, employers arehyper-focused on unique benefits that attract the millennial generation, which has surpassedGeneration X as the largest age group in the workforce. While mostemployers and HR professionals have likely read countless articlesabout empowering millennial employees in the workplace, it cannotbe denied that this generation faces a much different work/life landscape than those that came beforethem.

Since traditional benefits no longer serve most of the workforceas they once did, continued conversation is necessary to identifynew employer strategies, including the implementation of unusualbenefits that address millennials’ specific needs and challenges.These include the flexibility to allow employees to work where and when they want, personalized wellnessprograms that incorporate gamification and recognition for goalsmet, mental health resources for employees and their families,sabbaticals that encourage personal growth and exploration, and more. Suchexamples not only meet the unique needs of millennial employees,but they also help organizations foster an authentic and empatheticworkplace culture.

Rethinking traditional benefits to address employeestress

One of the main goals employers have for their workplacebenefits is to reduce employee stress. Personal stressors can leadto decreased workforce productivity, absenteeism, andturnover—which ultimately take a negative toll on overall officeculture. Reducing stress is particularly critical for millennialemployees, as this generation reports higher stress levels than any other age group. Millennials arealso more likely than other generations to say their stress has avery strong impact on their physical and mental health.