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Female employees are critical for business success. They help foster an inclusive workplace, increase creativity, and boost employer brand and profitability. So, it makes sense to consider benefits for female employees.
According to Statista, an estimated 1.3 billion females are employed globally. Yet, Manpower’s Global Talent Shortage survey revealed that nearly 4 in 5 employers find hiring skilled employees difficult.
So, the key to attracting and retaining female workforce is offering employee benefits tailored to their diversified needs and interests. Forbes reported that 40% of employers believe workers could leave their jobs to find employment that provides better benefits. Also, 1 in 10 workers are even willing to take a pay cut to have access to better benefits.
Here are some of the most popular employment benefits for female employees:
1. Childcare assistance
Childcare assistance can boost employee productivity. This allows female employees to balance work and life responsibilities. There are also different types of childcare benefits like:
- Provide help with childcare costs! Whether it’s a babysitter at home or after-school care, you can subsidize the cost.
- Help your team with childcare costs using DCAPS! It’s a plan where employees can save money before taxes to pay for things like babysitters and childcare.
- Give your employees a hand with backup childcare! T helps out when they need temporary care for their kids.
Amazon’s childcare benefits include free access to nannies, babysitters, and special-needs caretakers. So, employees receive discounts on specific daycare centers. They also get free resources for parents of children with autism, ADHD, and developmental disabilities.
2. Fertility assistance
Fertility assistance is an excellent benefit for female employees interested in starting or expanding their families. This benefit addresses reproductive health concerns like egg freezing, fertility counseling, prescription coverage, and diagnostic testing. Apple gives egg-freezing services to female employees who want to postpone pregnancy.
3. Menopausal support
Help your female employees during menopause. So you can help them with things like seeing menopause doctors and specialists. And you can provide learning resources and funding. They might also need hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescriptions. So, you can be flexible by adjusting work hours, and letting them take time off for perimenopause or menopause symptoms. In addition, offering more flexible schedules and time off goes a long way. A study by NFP discovered that only 4% of U.S. employers currently offer menopause accommodations. Although, a third of them are considering adding them within the next 5 years.
4. Maternity/Parental Leave
Parental leave is paid time off given to female employees who have just given birth. So, this time off allows new mothers to recover and care for their babies. According to the International Labour Organization, 62% of countries now provide at least 14 weeks of maternity leave. When countries give moms time off after having a baby, more women get jobs, and the country makes more money per person. Some caring bosses even let new moms have extra time and a private place to breastfeed. So, being flexible about work hours for childcare doctor visits is helpful too. And, it’s also a good idea to share health info to help moms adjust after having a baby.
5. Breastfeeding/Lactation Support
43% percent of parents leave the workforce within three months of childbirth. That’s why you should offer help to working moms who want to breastfeed. So, you can start by supporting with personal checkups, breast pumps, online doctor visits, and ongoing support. Studies show companies might keep more workers and get more work done when they do this.
6. Flexibility
Flexible work options let employees work from home or choose a schedule that fits them, like shorter weeks. So, this helps women control their work hours and balance job and parent duties. It’s also super handy for new moms who are still breastfeeding. Mckinsey reported that 38 percent of mothers with young children say they would have had to leave their company or reduce their work hours without workplace flexibility.
7. Health Benefits
Health benefits for female workers aim to address their health issues and improve their overall wellness. So, beyond the usual dental and vision insurance, here are some benefits tailored for women employees:
- Health examinations – regular checkups and screenings like mammograms, pap smears, pelvic tests, breast cancer screening, cervical screening, gynecological exams, and STI screening
- Contraceptive health – birth control pills, patches, injections, and devices
- Maternity care – prenatal care, maternity visits, hospital stay and delivery, and postpartum care
- Telehealth – online consultations with physicians and healthcare specialists, offering convenience for medical advice and support.
- Preventive care – immunizations and screenings for conditions like osteoporosis and certain cancers for early detection and prevention
Forbes survey revealed that 67% of employees and 68% of employers believe employer-covered healthcare is the most important benefit.
8. Mental Health Support
According to the American Psychiatric Association, 1 in 5 women in the United States has a mental health problem. These incluse depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or an eating disorder each year.
Employers can play an essential role in supporting the mental well-being of their female employees. To do this, employers must provide access to mental health counseling, therapy, medications and meditation, and mindfulness mobile apps. Positive mental health helps workers adapt to changing work demands during difficult or busy periods.
9. Wellness Programs
More than helping female employees with their health concerns, supporting them with therapies and treatments encourages them to have a healthier lifestyle. So, wellness programs promote physical activity, healthy eating, and stress management. Popular wellness benefits include:
- Gym membership subsidies or subscriptions
- On-site or online fitness classes
- Wellness workshops that educate women on reproductive health
- Nutritional counseling – Nutritionists and dietitians give personalized nutrition advice and healthy eating plans
- Stress reduction workshops and resources – aimed at managing stress, including resilience, mindfulness and relaxation techniques
10. Gender Pay Equality
Payscale’s State of Gender Pay Gap reported that female employees get 83 cents for every dollar their male counterpart receives, even if they perform the same job and have the same skills. So, if you want to attract more women in your workforce, ensure you give equal pay for equal work. Show your salary details in your job descriptions and disclose them during interviews to prove your company is committed to paying employees fairly.
11. Professional Development
Professional development empowers female employees to maximize their potential and advance their careers. As a result, this enhances job satisfaction and bring about a more positive work environment. It also allows them to compete on equal footing with their male colleagues. Here are some examples:
- Certification programs – Employers give women extra money and time off to learn more about their jobs. Thus, they can take special training and get certificates for their skills and roles.
- Mentorship programs – Matching women at work with mentors who can give them advice and help with their careers as they grow professionally.
- Access to professional development funds – Give employees funding to go to outside workshops, classes, or conferences.
- Technical training courses – Support women at work who want to learn or improve their technical skills, like coding or data analysis. These are also often jobs that men do more.
- Soft skills training – Women can enroll in workshops that aim to develop soft skills, including communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and confidence-building
- Financial literacy programs – The HR team sets up workshops and gives materials to help women learn about handling their money and investments.
- Job rotations – Women get chances to work in different jobs or teams to learn more and also make their work experience even better.
12. Leadership training
Leadership training and development programs specifically designed for women promote gender diversity and women empowerment in the workplace:
- Executive coaching – provide executive coaching to help women employees hone their leadership abilities, improve their management skills, and address career challenges
- Leadership retreats – offer an immersive experience for female employees to cultivate their leadership skills, foster collaboration, and build a supportive community.
- Leadership webinars – access to webinars featuring successful women leaders sharing their experiences, insights, and advice on navigating leadership roles.
- Visibility initiatives – aims to increase the visibility of women leaders within the organization by featuring them in internal communications, conferences, and industry events
- Sponsorship programs are implemented where senior leaders sponsor high-potential women for advocacy, exposure, and career advancement opportunities.
- Crisis leadership training programs focused on crisis leadership, equipping women with the competencies to lead and manage during challenging times.
Abbott’s Women in STEM Network elevates women in science, technology, engineering, and math fields to seize career opportunities through professional development sessions for technical growth and continued learning.
13. Employee Resource Groups
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) deliver a range of benefits for women within an organization:
- Community and support – women can share their experiences, talk about their problems, and celebrate their job accomplishments, building a supportive workplace culture.
- Networking opportunities – women can network with colleagues from different teams and levels, fostering the exchange of ideas and professional relationships.
- Advocacy and awareness – female employees can engage in advocacy and awareness to promote gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in the organization.
- Policy advocacy – work with HR to advocate for policies that support gender equality, family friend policies, and other initiatives that benefit female employees.
Abbott also has an ERG called Women Leaders of Abbott that connects women and all who inspire growth in women leaders. It offers dynamic programs and initiatives to enhance women’s leadership experiences and career development.
14. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs):
Female employees can set aside their pre-tax money for qualified childcare expenses. So, this benefit can help employees save money on childcare expenses.
15. Dependent Care Assistance Programs (DCAPs):
DCAPs allow female employees to use pre-tax money to pay for dependent care expenses like eldercare and the care of disabled dependents. Thus, this benefit can help employees cut spending on dependent care.
16. Paid Pet Leave
Employers give their employees paid time off to care for their fur babies. So, this includes vet visits and consultations, animal adoption, and bereavement when their pets pass away. Nationwide’s survey showed that among pet owners, 32% said having pet-related benefits available to them would influence them to stay at their current employer or leave their company for one that does.
Why I wrote this:
Ongig helps recruiters write job applications that attract talented female candidates, including employee benefits that address their needs and interests. So, remember to design your benefits according to your resources and organizational requirements. Book a demo to know how we can help you template your benefits in your job descriptions.
Shout-outs:
- 2023 Global Talent Shortage – Manpower
- Best Employee Benefits In 2023 – Forbes Advisor
- 2024 US Leave Management and HR Trend Report – NFP
- Women in the Workplace 2023 – McKinsey
- 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report – Payscale
- Trouble keeping or hiring employees? Offering pet benefits could help – Nationwide
