Do flexible benefit options really help with attraction and retention of good staff?
We have done research into this question among both UK employees (The Employee Benefits Research 2008) employers (Flexible Benefits/Towers Perrin Research 2009) and the bottom line answer is that flex isn’t going to made a break on whether someone chooses to stay with an employer or move to a particular employer. There are too many other important influences on the recruit and retain element – such as interesting job, salary level, relationship with manager. However, if it is reflective or supportive of a broader (good) workplace culture then you can argue it has an effect. So flex in itself, it is not a solution. Too many employers put it in because it is the trend, and they do not integrating it with their HR or business strategies so it doesn’t have the small influence it could have on recruitment and retention (not that many measure whether it has met objectives). Flex is more effective for making the most of UK tax breaks, and it is good for meeting the needs of a diverse workforc
