Employee benefits: an introduction

Employee benefits offer a way to attract and keep people, contribute towards improving wellbeing, and encourage required behaviours, achievements, values, and skills. However, there are several factors to consider when introducing a benefit to make sure it’s valued by workers while also supporting people management practices and aligning it with wider business goals.

This factsheet explores the past and present of employee ‘perks’, from paternalism to the start of the UK welfare state and through to today's more individualised approach. It looks at the types of benefits employers can offer, and what to consider when implementing employee benefits as part of a reward strategy.