Following the pandemic, many UK companies responded to the needs of their staff by adapting their working patterns to accommodate remote and hybrid work. In general, companies showed an increased willingness to offer workplace benefits and foster new ways of working to meet the needs of remote workers. 

However, despite a readiness to keep staff happy, not every company can be praised for providing its employees with the best benefits. So what can you do as a humble employee to try and improve the quality of your working life? Here are some methods to help you convince your company’s management to invest in a better workplace-benefit package.


Highlight the Problem

One of the best ways to help your company leaders improve an employee problem is to raise the issue with someone. For starters, the management team might not even be aware that it is something they can help with. If it is a lack of training opportunities, then make sure someone knows about it.

There is a reason why the adage ‘a problem shared is a problem halved,’ has stuck around. The more people who know about a given issue, the higher the chances that it will be resolved. Sitting on a problem won’t help get it solved — nor will taking matters into your own hands. This is particularly true where employee benefits are concerned as this requires agreement at the management level, if not the boardroom, so raising awareness is essential.

Propose Solutions to Help Sway the Conversation

It’s important to not just highlight where there is a lack of benefits. Going in armed with a solution can really strengthen your position. While there is plenty to be said for finding problems, to make your request for improvement credible, a solution to the situation is advisable. Bear in mind that management must look at the big picture. While they want what’s best for their staff they also need to balance that with what’s good for business.

Solutions for employee benefits must also make a difference to the company. So if that’s breakroom equipment that helps improve physical and mental wellness in the workplace, it must also help the company get results. This is why you must find the positives in any benefits you request; from helping improve productivity, wellness and efficiency to boosting the company’s reputation.

Seek Real-World Examples

Putting the reason for your proposed employee benefit to management likely means offering some context and spelling out why it is important that they provide it. Using real-world examples is a great way to show senior officials precisely why their investment will not be a waste of resources but quite the contrary.

For example, asking for something as simple as free fruit in the company cafeteria can help improve productivity. But that’s not all, you can also use improved staff morale and a better ability to attract new talent to further strengthen the same argument. Finding examples of other companies implementing the same benefits that you are proposing, is another credible route to follow. This is especially so if they are competitors, as it’s important that your company doesn’t fall behind.

Learn and Practice Pitching Ideas

Confidence is important when delivering a presentation, especially when it may affect a great number of staff. Developing a pitch and then practising it several times to make sure you have the information ready to go, is important.

From memorizing your facts and figures to making sure you cover all of the important points and can deliver your pitch efficiently, the shinier your pitch the greater its success. You can correct any stumbling points and consider which, if any, visual aids can make a difference.

Why practice your pitch?

  • Hone the important bits and be able to get back on track following diversions
  • Think of possible questions and what your response will be
  • Trim the fat and keep the core points
  • Opportunity to check your facts
  • Understand the timing of your pitch

Seek Internal Guidance

While an idea might be best brought forward to your CEO or CFO, it’s important to first bring it to your manager to see how it lies and for any useful feedback. You may have very little interaction with the person who is responsible for giving the go-ahead on any new company benefits, for this reason, it can be useful to learn from someone who is closer to them about what they are responsive to.

Some leaders prefer a short and concise meeting to cover general ideas and leave the finer workings out to someone else. Others like to understand every aspect, while others still, simply want to talk about statistics. Knowing and preparing for the right kind of presentation to a senior member of staff can help you win them over and establish a new rollout of benefits.

Bringing your improvement idea to your colleagues can also help you iron out some of the kinks and shine some light on other aspects you may not have considered. However, it’s important to remain focused on the issue at hand, rather than it becoming something bigger and therefore much less attainable.

Believe in Your Ideas

Once you’re ready to deliver your benefits idea to your company’s management try and keep the faith. If you have done your research, received helpful feedback from colleagues and more senior staff and practised your pitch, there is a good chance you will get a positive outcome. Not only will your proposed employee benefits make your job better for you, but they will help your fellow employees and your company to prosper too.

 

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