1. What are Employee Benefits?

Employee benefits are non-cash elements in the reward package, although they may have a monetary cost for businesses, such as paid holidays, retirement benefits, or business cars. Payroll managers and HR use these benefits to assure the best employee experience while focusing on cost reductions on employers.

They might be used for commercial reasons, such as encouraging staff to fulfill corporate goals, and 'moral' reasons are based on a desire to care for employees' well-being (and, in so doing, potentially increase employee engagement). The current financial, legal, and social climate also influences the creation and implementation of benefit plans and practices.

Employee benefits - in the UK typically include life insurance, hospitalization, dental insurance, childcare vouchers, help with education fees, medical treatment for employees and their children, access to discounted travel facilities, and legal services.

2. A Brief History of Employee Benefits - UK

Some businesses started providing benefits to their workers in the early days of UK welfare provision, a practice known as "paternalism."

Between 1900 and the 1930s, the state provided subsidies for everyone. After World War II, the welfare state was created to offer such benefits as unemployment insurance, sick pay, state pensions, and a National Health Service.

Even though employee benefits have received more attention in recent decades, tax laws surrounding them have tightened since the 1980s, making certain perks less appealing than cash. However, it may be challenging to get rid of or reduce them once they've become a standard component of the deal.

3. Recent Employee Benefits Developments and Payroll

Most recently, some businesses have taken a more individualistic approach to employee rewards, taking more of the risk (and potential reward) and cost of the benefit on themselves. Benefit provision has seen a considerable shift from defined benefit pension plans to defined contribution arrangements (particularly in the corporate sector) and some movement from fixed to flexible.

Employee benefits, on the other hand, are no longer considered only as a retention strategy. According to research, what makes an employer's employment offer appealing is dependent on an employee's specific circumstances (such as being a carer).

This has resulted in the notion of "total reward," in which employers provide a mix of financial and non-financial incentives tailored to the needs of the business and its employees. For HR managers, employee benefits are a powerful tool for attracting, keeping, and motivating the talent needed to achieve an organization's mission and results. The payroll management team needs to look after financial incentives such as paid holidays, paid time-off and paid leaves.

The COVID-19 epidemic has put pressure on businesses to assess the adequacy of their healthcare and risk benefits, and their overall financial and mental support for employees who have had to stay at home, such as those who have had to protect their families.

4. Types of Employee Benefits Offered

The following are the main benefits provided to all employees or dependent on UK employers' grade, location, or employment.

• Pensions
  Workplace pensions are required by law. Workplace pensions, which are one of the more expensive elements of a company's compensation package, frequently arise as part of large internal or external changes.
• Holidays and Time-off
  According to studies, employers are obliged by law to provide specific quantities of compensated yearly holidays, although many give more than the required amount. Legal requirements for time off work include maternity, paternity, adoption, parental, and bereavement leave. Many employers commonly provide more generous time off arrangements than mandated by law.
• Healthcare and Risk Benefits
  Benefits as paid time off and healthcare coverage can be used to secure both employees' well-being and productivity. Following are the most common types of perks
  • The employer must provide the employee with sick pay.
  • Employee Assistance Plans
  • Death in the Service/ Life Assurance
  • Optical-care Vouchers
  • Gym (On-site or Discounted Membership)
  
  Some advantages are available to everyone (such as industrial sick pay), while others are dependent on various criteria such as grade, employment, or location. Group risk insurance policies, including group life assurance, group income protection, and group critical illness insurance, shift part of the risk to a third party.
• Company Car Allowance
  Some organizations provide a business car to employees to meet their job requirements (for example, as a sales representative) or to acknowledge the profession's status (for example, as a director). Some businesses choose to give cash instead of providing a car facility so that staff may purchase vehicles on their own as per their convenience.
• Other Benefits
  Employers may provide a variety of other employee benefits, such as unlimited holiday, concierge services, free or discounted staff cafeterias, and a nap room.
  • Childcare Vouchers:
    Tax credits are another benefit of using coupons such as childcare vouchers. Employees should be aware that childcare costs may be deducted from their pay.
  • Shares:
    There are a variety of tax-free benefits available to eligible employees as part of a reward system. This may be an excellent approach for workers to profit from the success of their company. Several HMRC-recognized programs provide tax advantages.
  • Travel:
    Staff can use their employer-sponsored VCF cards to borrow money to purchase annual travel passes, which are typically far less expensive than monthly or weekly passes

5. Cost of an Employee Benefits Scheme

With so many advantages, benefit plans are worth the money and may cost you less than you anticipate.

According to Mercer's analysis, 36% of firms said that having a flexible benefits plan saved them money, and 46% claimed there was no additional cost to their company. These financial savings can be achieved by providing perks rather than raises.

According to Arise, 58% of people would take a pay cut to be able to work from home, and 25 per cent would accept a lower salary if they didn't have to drive.

6. Payroll and Employee Benefit Scheme

Brain Payroll has all you need to process payrolls incorporating employee benefits set for individuals and give you a hassle-free payroll processing experience!