How to build a global benefits plan
Remote's experts explain how to provide benefits that are locally relevant yet competitive globally, outline how to secure compliance when expanding internationally, and describe ways to foster equality and build trust across your multinational team.
- How to develop an equitable global benefits programme
- How to ensure compliance with local labour laws
- How differing cultural norms and expectations may affect your benefits plans
- How to attract and retain top talent through outstanding benefits for global workers
- When and how to offer benefits to contractors
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Download the guide
Want to provide outstanding global benefits but unsure where to begin?
Providing strong benefits and ensuring parity across your workforce need not be complex. Remote hires in 70+ countries worldwide. Our complimentary Global Benefits Guide outlines what offering global benefits entails and provides expert steps on implementing them in a manner suited to your company’s specific needs and objectives.
The state of remote and flexible working
The value of remote and flexible working is undeniable today; however, which employees prize these provisions most?
By surveying 10,000 full-time employees across genders, industries, job functions, countries and parental statuses in 2022, we identified the most sought-after employee benefits. The highlights below indicate the insights available in the complete research report:
- Our research found that health insurance ranks as the top priority in the USA
- Additional parental leave is the most important benefit for parents with one child
- Employees in the Netherlands desire employer contributions towards home office setup
Research highlights
The Remote Global Benefits Guide helps you identify the benefits employees value most.
Parents of one child value remote work more highly than parents with multiple children
The chance to work remotely matters most to parents of one child; nevertheless, most employees—irrespective of family status or future plans—consider remote work important. Remote working and flexible hours allow parents to arrange work in a way that better fits their family circumstances.
Companies should recognise that many employees’ most productive hours fall outside the traditional 9 am – 5 pm window, often because of childcare or other external commitments.
Allowing staff to select hours that suit them can reduce stress and burnout, lower employee absences and improve job satisfaction.
Offering remote work and flexible hours increases the chance of attracting highly skilled professionals with young children who are actively seeking roles with such provisions.
Employees in the Netherlands place the highest value on remote work
Dutch employers are more accustomed to staff working fully remotely or via hybrid models. Even before the pandemic, the Netherlands had a notably flexible working culture. This may explain why, among the countries surveyed, Dutch employees are likeliest to regard remote work as an important benefit. Employers recruiting in the Netherlands should support remote work to attract and retain top talent.
The UK, Germany and the USA follow the Netherlands; employees in France are the least likely to regard remote work as important, whether offered part-time or full-time.
Remote work matters most to employees in advertising and IT roles
Full-time remote work ranks highest for employees in advertising roles, whereas part-time remote work is more important to those in IT roles.
Whether part-time or full-time, remote work is considerably less desired by employees in production and sales roles than in other functions. This suggests employers should consider making remote work more accessible for these job types so those workers can also benefit.
This demonstrates the importance of providing remote work options at least on a part-time basis when compatible with the role. The most effective benefits packages are tailored to the types of employees who will receive them.
The most important employee benefits when considering a job move
We surveyed 10,000 full-time employees in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US to determine which benefits are most desirable when contemplating a job move, across genders, parental statuses, job roles and industries. When contemplating a change of employment, workers typically compare their current benefits packages with those on offer elsewhere. This comparison helps them decide whether to stay or leave, and, if leaving, which vacancies merit application.
Whether an employer seeks to attract or retain top talent, our survey of 10,000 full-time employees in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US shows the top three perks are flexible working hours, company-sponsored retirement plans or pensions, and early finishes on Fridays. Regarding health-related benefits, employees in the US place greater importance on paid time off for self-care/mental health and on private and family health insurance than respondents in any of the European countries surveyed. Residents of France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK have access to universal healthcare, whereas in the US medical costs are borne individually.
It is therefore crucial for employers to develop customised benefits packages based on what is most valued in their operating region. Providing medical insurance to assist US employees with healthcare costs will demonstrate care and help preserve equity across your global team.
Across nearly all job functions, employees desire flexible work hours – particularly those in HR
Flexible working is the most important benefit across all job functions except production and 'other' roles. Employers with large numbers of staff in production or other unlisted roles may be better served by incorporating company-sponsored retirement plans or pensions into their benefit packages.
Other survey results show that access to dedicated breastfeeding rooms in the office is most important to employees in advertising roles.
However, regardless of industry, employers should consider providing dedicated private spaces for parents to breastfeed. This promotes inclusion, supports new parents returning to work and is likely to attract a more diverse range of high-quality candidates.
