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The 1 Employee Benefit That Costs You Nothing

If your organization isn’t building relationships with local businesses by offering employee discounts, now’s a great time to start.  Especially with the growing war for talent, businesses can introduce discounts as a high-impact, low-cost employee benefit.

Employee discounts are a great way to show employees you’re always looking for ways to improve their experience.

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You get a discount, and you get a discount, and …

It’s a win for everyone:

  • Local spots get free advertising and a batch of new customers.
  • Your employees get a discount on food or activities.
  • Your HR department gets to offer perks that take nothing out of your benefits budget.

One caveat: Be sure any businesses you include on your discount list are reputable and dependable; otherwise, you’re potentially putting your workforce in harm’s way and inviting liability for your organization.

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Diversity of discounts

Restaurant discounts are common, and for good reason. Nearby eateries are already convenient for employee lunches or dinners, and even restaurants that aren’t nearby can find value in drawing more hungry patrons.

Discounts for activities such as concerts, theme parks, car washes, gym memberships and spas show that you know your employees have a life outside of work, and the organization is committed to helping them make it the best possible one.

You can help with housing by securing popular discounts like reduced rent, waived closing costs or rental deposits. Or partner to offer reduced pricing for services, copays, child care fees – even dog training or acupuncture! Find discounts that a wide range of your employees would use and appreciate.

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Dive right in

This week, challenge yourself to see how many organizations you can initiate conversations with about employee discounts. Reach out to local businesses and any friends who own businesses to see if they would be interested in partnering with your company in this way. You may even involve employees – ask if they are aware of any local businesses that would be open to these conversations!

Once you have some discounts in the book, promote them internally to your employees. Summer’s a great season for this, whether employees are looking for activities to help their kids burn off their out-of-school energy or want to spend some time on self-care. Keep an updated list on a shared server or an intranet, and send regular email reminders. Workers won’t use these perks if they don’t know about them. So get the word out!

Show your employees that you value their health and happiness outside of the office, and you’ll find that indeed they are happier and healthier, even when they’re back within those four walls.