Protected: Quick-Start Guide to Employee Travel Benefits: 2025
Joanne Stanfa
April 16, 2025
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To say the American workforce has been through a tumultuous 20 years, economically speaking, would be an understatement. The financial crisis of 2008 ushered in economic conditions unseen in the United States for nearly a century, leaving many individuals facing tremendous hardship. This difficult period was followed by a decade of significant economic growth, offering some relief and stability. However, the COVID-19 outbreak abruptly ended this, once again throwing the economy into disarray. Although a brief recovery followed, it proved shorter and less stable than the previous expansion. For many, this relentless seesaw of economic highs and lows has become exhausting and discouraging.
Now, as we turn the page to the next chapter, new uncertainties loom. With a new administration in place, questions abound about what the future holds for American workers and how forthcoming policies will shape the economic landscape. This moment presents an important opportunity to take stock of the state of financial wellness among the U.S. workforce. Emerging research consistently underscores the strong correlation between employees’ financial strain and critical performance indicators such as productivity, healthcare costs, and overall business success. The data paints a stark picture of a growing crisis in employee financial wellness, making it clear that while awareness has increased, substantial efforts are still required to create lasting solutions that improve financial stability for American workers.
Let’s explore the latest data.
Financial stress has reached an alarming level for American workers, creating significant challenges in their daily lives. This financial strain is not only affecting their ability to meet basic expenses but also limiting their capacity to save for the future and manage escalating debt.
A recent Resume Now survey underscores the severity of financial hardship among workers, revealing that 73% of employees can barely afford expenses beyond basic living costs, while 12% are unable to cover even their essential needs. This growing financial strain has forced 30% of workers into debt just to manage daily necessities, exacerbating their overall instability and limiting their ability to plan for the future.
The savings crisis is equally concerning. Bankrate’s 2025 Emergency Savings Report reveals that 59% of Americans lack sufficient savings to cover a $1,000 emergency expense, and 73% are saving less than they did in 2024. As a result, 43% of Americans would need to borrow money to handle an unexpected financial setback, a troubling reality given the record $1.14 trillion in credit card debt reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Debt in general remains a growing burden. The average total consumer household debt climbed to $104,215 in 2023—an 11% increase since 2020. A staggering 77% of U.S. workers identify personal credit card debt as a significant financial challenge, with 40% admitting it influences their career decisions. Additionally, 62% of private-sector employees factor in student loan debt when assessing job opportunities, which is likely to limit prospects over the course of their career.
Younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are the most vulnerable. 80% of Gen Z workers worry about affording immediate expenses if they were to lose their income, compared to 72% of Millennials and Gen Xers. Retirement savings are also lagging—only 20% of Gen Zers are actively saving for retirement, largely due to a lack of financial literacy. Even among those who do save, contributions are alarmingly low, with 60% of Gen Z and Millennials holding less than $5,000 in retirement savings.
These financial struggles highlight the urgent need for greater financial education and workplace support programs, but just as important as understanding the state of financial wellness among the American workforce is understanding how things got to this point.
The roots of poor financial wellness are multifaceted and long-standing, shaped by economic trends, policy decisions, and shifting workforce dynamics. Over the years, stagnant wages, rising living costs, and a lack of comprehensive financial education have compounded the problem, leaving many workers struggling to achieve financial stability. The aforementioned Resume Now study identified several key factors contributing to financial stress, as reported by U.S. workers. These include:
It isn’t just employees who are feeling the pain. Poor employee financial wellness has far-reaching consequences for both workplace productivity and company profitability. Recent research conducted by Graystone Consulting and Morgan Stanley sheds light on how this struggle is impacting employers’ bottom lines.
Financial concerns have surpassed work, health, and family issues as the number one source of stress for employees. Notably, even among those earning $100,000 or more annually, 52% still report feeling financially stressed, highlighting that financial worries are not limited to lower-income workers.
This stress manifests in tangible ways that affect business operations. One in five employees admits that financial concerns hinder their job performance, and nearly half of financially stressed employees spend at least three hours per week handling personal financial issues during work hours. Over the course of a year, this distraction adds up to more than 156 lost work hours—or nearly 20 full workdays—resulting in a hidden cost of approximately $3,922 per employee in lost productivity.
The ripple effects extend beyond productivity. Employees facing financial strain are nine times more likely to experience workplace conflicts and are twice as likely to be actively seeking new job opportunities. Perhaps most shocking, 40% of workers are planning to postpone retirement due to financial instability, leading to significant business costs in wages, healthcare, and workers’ compensation. Even a one-year delay in retirement can drive workforce costs up by 1.0%–1.5%, with an estimated $50,000 incremental expense per delayed retirement case.
These financial pressures reinforce the urgent need for employers to take proactive measures in addressing employee financial wellness.
With financial stress becoming a growing workplace concern, both employers and employees are aligned in recognizing the need for financial wellness benefits. A PNC Bank survey found that 96% of employers believe these benefits enhance employee satisfaction and retention, and 80% of employees would remain with an employer that provides strong financial wellness support.
Despite this awareness, implementation has been slow. According to a Transamerica Prescience survey, only 47% of employers are expected to adopt comprehensive financial wellness programs by the end of 2026. However, there remains significant uncertainty about how these programs will be structured and funded. While some experts (34%) predict that employers will absorb the costs, others (17%) expect employees to bear the financial burden, and 24% foresee a cost-sharing approach. Additionally, opinions vary on the format of these programs, with some employers leaning toward automated financial assistance tools, while others prefer a mix of digital and human coaching.
These uncertainties highlight the fact that, while financial wellness benefits are widely recognized as necessary, there are still more questions than answers when it comes to their implementation.
With financial stress becoming a growing workplace concern, both employers and employees are aligned in recognizing the need for financial wellness benefits. A PNC Bank survey found that 96% of employers believe these benefits enhance employee satisfaction and retention, and 80% of employees would remain with an employer that provides strong financial wellness support.
Understanding where employees need the most help is the first critical step toward improving their financial wellness. Employers must gain a clear picture of the unique financial challenges their workforce faces before implementing support initiatives. By identifying specific areas of need, organizations can tailor their financial wellness programs to have the greatest impact. Here are three actionable steps employers can take to assess these needs effectively:
The state of employee financial wellness in 2025 presents both a challenge and an opportunity, underscoring the pressing need for meaningful action. As organizations increasingly acknowledge the direct link between financial well-being and overall business success, the coming years will be pivotal in not just recognizing these issues but in actively addressing them through comprehensive financial wellness initiatives.
For the more than 30 million working parents in the U.S., the past five years have been marked by rapid change and adaptation. The COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 dramatically reshaped daily life, forcing a convergence of professional and parental responsibilities within the home. Although this shift presented formidable challenges—balancing Zoom meetings with homeschooling and managing work deadlines amidst family demands—it also offered unexpected benefits. Working parents gained more quality time with their children, and the flexibility of remote work allowed for more adaptable childcare arrangements. For parents of the millions of babies born between 2020 and 2024, this blended dynamic of work and family life is all they’ve ever known.
However, as more companies begin implementing return-to-office plans, this new normal may be coming to an end and many working parents are discovering that the level of support they’ve grown accustomed to is no longer guaranteed. While HR leaders continue to champion enhanced childcare benefits, their efforts are hitting a roadblock at the executive level. According to a recent KinderCare survey, nearly 80% of Fortune 500 CHROs report difficulties convincing the C-Suite to expand employer-sponsored childcare offerings, with the primary obstacle being concerns about return on investment (ROI).
But the data tells a different story.
Despite hesitation from the C-Suite, HR leaders strongly advocate for the expansion of childcare benefits, recognizing their critical role in workforce stability and engagement. Findings from the same KinderCare survey highlight just how valuable these benefits can be:
Beyond expert opinions, quantifiable data reinforces the value of these benefits. An analysis conducted by Moms First and the Boston Consulting Group revealed that childcare benefits can yield an impressive ROI of up to 425%. Drawing on HR data, employee interviews, and surveys from five participating companies, the study demonstrated measurable gains in employee retention, enhanced productivity, and decreased absenteeism. Additionally, these benefits contribute to higher morale among working parents, fostering greater employee engagement and long-term loyalty.
However, even with clear evidence showing the substantial ROI of childcare benefits, HR leaders still face other challenges in their efforts to support working parents.
While concerns about ROI remain a significant hurdle, HR teams also face the ongoing challenge of managing limited benefits budgets. With a finite pool of resources, they must make tough decisions about which programs to prioritize, often having to weigh childcare benefits against other pressing employee needs – particularly healthcare.
According to a recent Mercer survey, despite escalating healthcare costs, most employers are committed to maintaining or selectively enhancing health benefits in 2025, with a particular focus on areas such as reproductive health and GLP-1 medications. While these investments are essential for employee well-being, the rising costs associated with healthcare often divert resources away from other critical benefits, including childcare support.
However, benefits teams are not without viable alternatives, and employers can still make a meaningful impact in supporting working parents through creative and cost-effective strategies.
For companies unable to expand formal childcare benefits, employee discount programs offer a practical and flexible solution to ease the financial burdens faced by working parents. The U.S. Department of Labor’s National Database of Childcare Prices reports that families spend between 9% and 16% of their median income on full-day care for one child. This can often equate to costs comparable to or exceeding monthly rent. The high costs are a major burden for working parents, particularly those in lower-income brackets, where childcare expenses can consume an even larger portion of their earnings.
Employee discount programs frequently partner with local and national childcare providers, offering significant savings on daycare, after-school programs, tutoring, and babysitting services. These discounts can translate into thousands of dollars in annual savings, making a tangible difference in financial stability for many families. Additionally, the flexibility of these programs allows parents to choose options that best align with their schedules and caregiving preferences, ensuring a personalized approach to childcare support that wouldn’t be possible with one universal offering.
Of course, the financial demands of raising a child extend far beyond daycare and babysitting costs. Parents are faced with a constant stream of expenses that can quickly add up, and employee discount programs can provide much-needed relief by helping working parents manage these ongoing costs more effectively. Let’s look at a few examples:
To fully leverage the benefits of employee discount programs, employers should take a strategic approach that goes beyond simple implementation. This involves actively promoting the program, regularly evaluating its effectiveness, and ensuring it aligns with the evolving needs of working parents. A well-managed discount program can significantly enhance employee satisfaction, reduce financial stress, and contribute to a more supportive workplace culture. Let’s go over a few tips:
By creatively utilizing employee discount programs, companies can provide meaningful support to working parents, fostering a more engaged, productive, and loyal workforce.
Employee leave requests rose in 2024 for the third consecutive year, according to a recent report by AbsenceSoft. While injury and illness recovery (57%) and managing mental health challenges (47%) topped the list of reasons, caring for an aging parent (37%) emerged as the third most common driver. This trend underscores the growing pressures on employees balancing work with caregiving responsibilities.
More than 48 million Americans currently serve as unpaid family caregivers, a number that is poised to grow as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age. With approximately 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 each day, the demand for caregiving is set to reach unprecedented levels over the coming years.
Employees who are also caregivers face a unique set of challenges that significantly impact their physical, mental, and financial well-being. Studies show that caregivers experience higher rates of physical and mental illness compared to non-caregivers, yet they often place their own health needs on the back burner. Financially, the situation is just as demanding. U.S. caregivers contribute an estimated $600 billion in unpaid labor annually, while also shouldering substantial out-of-pocket costs to ensure their loved ones receive necessary care.
As caregiving responsibilities continue to rise, employees are increasingly looking to their employers for meaningful support and resources to help them manage these competing demands.
Employers are increasingly feeling the impact of caregiving demands, and the effects extend well beyond accommodation requests. The growing trend of employees juggling work and caregiving responsibilities presents significant challenges to workforce stability and productivity. According to a recent report from AARP and S&P Global:
Clearly, as the population continues to age, employers will have to implement policies and benefits designed to retain this critical segment of employees in the workforce. But that’s easier said than done.
Despite the growing need, many employers face significant challenges in implementing caregiver benefits. Rising healthcare costs, ingrained workplace norms, and the lack of regulatory mandates create obstacles that make it difficult to introduce new support programs. While employers recognize the importance of offering these benefits, balancing financial constraints and cultural shifts within the workplace can be a complex task. Here are some of the primary challenges they must navigate:
For companies unable to provide dedicated caregiving benefits, an employee discount program can serve as a meaningful and cost-effective way to assist employees. While they can’t replace a purposeful employee caregiving strategy, these programs can offer immediate assistance that addresses many of the unique challenges caregivers face. Here’s how these programs can help:
Elder Care
The median cost of an in-home health aide in the U.S. is $5,148 per month—a significant financial burden for many employees. Discount programs can provide access to reduced costs for elder care services such as home health aides, senior transportation, or respite care. These savings can help employees manage the high cost of providing quality care for aging loved ones without sacrificing their own financial stability. According to Genworth’s 2023 Cost of Care Survey, long-term care costs have increased by 4-5% annually, underscoring the importance of financial relief for employees.
Child Care
More than 37% of caregivers also care for children or grandchildren under the age of 18, making them part of the “sandwich generation.” Juggling the needs of children alongside caregiving responsibilities for older relatives can be overwhelming. Discounts on childcare services, including daycare, after-school programs, and summer camps, can help ease both the financial and logistical challenges these employees face, giving them valuable time to focus on other responsibilities.
Medical Supplies and Equipment
Not all medical supplies and equipment—such as walkers, wheelchairs, specialty beds, or adaptive devices—are covered by insurance. These uncovered items can cost caregivers thousands of dollars annually, and The National Alliance for Caregiving notes that 45% of caregivers use their personal savings to cover these costs. Discount programs that offer reduced prices for essential medical equipment or partnerships with suppliers can make a significant difference, helping employees ensure their loved ones have what they need without creating unmanageable financial stress.
Financial Planning Tools
Roughly 90% of physical caregivers are also financial caregivers, responsible for managing their loved ones’ expenses and navigating complex financial decisions. Given the high costs associated with caregiving, access to financial planning tools, workshops, or consultations through a discount program can empower employees to better manage their budgets, reduce financial strain, and prepare for future expenses more effectively. Studies indicate that caregivers who receive financial guidance are 27% more likely to feel confident about their ability to manage caregiving costs.
Health and Wellness Resources
The physical toll of caregiving is significant, with three-fifths of caregivers reporting fair or poor health, chronic conditions, or disabilities. Encouraging caregivers to prioritize their health is crucial. Discounts on gym memberships, fitness equipment, or wellness retreats can motivate employees to stay active and focus on self-care. Additionally, partnerships with wellness coaches or nutritionists can provide caregivers with personalized guidance to maintain their physical well-being. A recent study by the Caregiver Action Network revealed that caregivers who engage in regular physical activity report a 40% improvement in overall mental health.
Mental Health Resources
Caregiving often leads to “caregiver burnout,” a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by the constant demands of managing another person’s well-being. This burnout can negatively impact not only the caregiver’s mental health but also their overall productivity at work and quality of life. Offering discounts on counseling services, mental health apps, or wellness programs can be a lifeline, helping caregivers build resilience, cope with stress, and regain balance in their lives. Providing access to virtual therapy or support groups can also make it easier for caregivers to seek help within their busy schedules.
Everyday Essentials
According to a study by the TIAA Institute and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, the average caregiver’s uncompensated expenses total more than $7,000 annually. These costs often include groceries, household goods, and other essentials. Discount programs that offer savings on these everyday items can alleviate some of the financial strain, allowing caregivers to redirect their limited resources toward other critical needs.
To truly maximize the impact of an employee discount program, employers must take intentional and proactive measures to ensure their workforce is both aware of these benefits and confident in how to use them. It’s not enough to simply offer a discount program—it requires consistent communication, clear guidance, and active promotion to highlight its value and accessibility. By fostering awareness and engagement, employers can transform their discount program into a powerful tool that directly supports caregiving employees. Here are a few actionable strategies:
By leveraging employee discount programs and raising awareness about their benefits, employers can better support employees who are also caregivers, enhancing both retention and employee well-being in the process.
Gift giving can be can be time-consuming and sometimes challenging depending who you’re shopping for. Finding the perfect gift requires thoughtful consideration, research, and sometimes a little bit of creativity. Not only that, but gifting is year round with holidays and special occasions like graduation. With an employee discount program like PerkSpot, not only will you save money but you’ll also save time with gift guides and buying guides at your fingertips. We’ve taking a closer look at just how hassle-free gift giving becomes when you partner with PerkSpot.
One of the advantages of shopping through an employee discount program like PerkSpot, is the extensive variety of gift options. Whether you’re looking for electronics, rental cars, home décor, or even experiences like theme parks and travel, PerkSpot has it all. With access to hundreds of big-name brands, you can easily browse through a diverse range of products and services, ensuring that you find the perfect gift.
What makes PerkSpot differ from our competitors? Our offers are exclusive and unmatched in the market, meaning you can’t find them anywhere else. These discounts can be a lifesaver, especially when you’re shopping for multiple gifts or looking for high-end items that might otherwise be out of your budget. With PerkSpot, you can stretch your gift-giving budget further, allowing you to give something you might not have had the means for without it.
Shopping for gifts can be a time-consuming task, especially during busy holiday seasons or special occasions. We understand the value of your time and simplify the entire process. By providing a personalized platform where you can explore brands and make purchases from the comfort of your own home, we eliminate the need to visit multiple stores or spend hours browsing online. Not only that, but our member’s receive weekly email communications with weekly perks, hand-picked gift guides, and tips to help them save.
Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or holiday celebration, PerkSpot has an unmatched deal for you. Our flexibility ensures that you can find the right gift for any event, ensuring that your gestures are well-received. From fresh flowers to a personalized watch, no matter the occasion you will find what you’re looking for.
The way we approach gifting has been simplified with employee discount programs. With tons of options, exclusive discounts, convenience, and versatility, PerkSpot simplifies the process, making it easier and more enjoyable than ever before. Say goodbye to gift-giving stress and embrace the convenience of PerkSpot for a memorable and meaningful gift-giving journey.
Interested in getting started today? Let’s meet and go over the details.
Finding the right way to say “thank you” to your employees during the holiday season can be stressful. But believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be. Not only will your employees feel appreciated, but gift giving is a great way to recognize their hard work and accomplishments over the past year.
We’ve laid out four tips and tricks to conquer this holiday season with gift giving techniques that don’t break the bank. Your wallet will thank you and your team will feel valued!
Sometimes when we think about gift giving it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying the next best thing or associating the amount of money spent with your gift’s value. In reality, there’s plenty of ways to show your team you care with homemade cards, blankets, cookie mix, ornaments, mittens, and so much more. It’s the thought that counts!
Sometimes the best gift is the gift of quality time. Instead of unwrapping presents, plan to spend time together as a team. You could plan an event you’ll all attend, schedule a virtual happy hour with festive beverages, or even volunteer for a good cause with one another. Sometimes the best gift is the one filled with laughter and catching up.
One of the easiest ways to thank your employees is to set them up with some new company swag. There’s plenty of options including mugs, sweatshirts, phone cases, slippers, and so much more. Not only is company swag a great investment that promotes your company, but it also boosts company culture and brand recognition in the long-run.
A simple and effective way to give a gift that goes the extra mile is to incorporate personalization. Is there a coffee shop your team loves? Does your team enjoy grabbing lunch at a nearby restaurant? No matter what you decide, be sure to include a personal message reiterating your gratitude. It’s safe to say that a handwritten card will go a long way with your employees.
There’s plenty of ways you can recognize the hard work of your employees this holiday season.Thanking your team and showing appreciation will not only make their holiday more jolly, but it will pay off long term. In fact, a recent survey found that engagement, productivity, and performance are 14% higher than in those companies without recognition.
We’re here to help this holiday season. An employee discount program can make your gift-giving easier and less expensive, so you can focus on building a better business while keeping employees happy and engaged. Schedule a demo today to discover great deals on family fun time, new gadgets, last minute gifts, and more.
From all of us here at PerkSpot, happy holidays!
H-E-B needed a benefit that satisfied the needs of their entire workforce, made up of nearly 120,000 employees. “We have a lot of single parents and employees on a budget, so we’re always trying to see how we can better serve them,” said Lupe Melendez, the Benefits and Health and Wellness Advisor of H-E-B. That’s where PerkSpot stepped in. After partnering with H-E-B in 2016, all employees are able to save with thousands of exclusive savings.
When asked why H-E-B was looking to make the switch from their previous discounts provider to PerkSpot, Lupe Melendez said, “H-E-B was looking for someone who was seamless, provided various resources, and was easy for our Partners to navigate, a one stop shop.”
With PerkSpot, there’s not much required from an HR director or benefits manager. A dedicated client success manager sends regular reports detailing employee savings, program participation, and more. Additionally, marketing materials are sent throughout the year. By highlighting seasonal savings, employees can make the most of their discount program!
“What we love most is that we don’t have to do a lot of manual entries. I love the fact that PerkSpot handles all of the logistics for us and we don’t have to continuously respond to various vendors who constantly call or email. PerkSpot gets back to you.”
As a grocery store during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaders at H-E-B’s corporate offices quickly realized how thinly stretched their time would be. With important discussions at hand, leaders from over 300 stores became busy fast with store management. With such a strong focus on this, PerkSpot’s relationship with H-E-B became crucial.
PerkSpot doubled down on efforts to find the most relevant savings for employees. In turn, the efforts helped those who were strongly impacted by the pandemic to save time and money where they needed it most.
Check out other savings stories from some of PerkSpot’s partners.
Interested in joining the hundreds of companies helping their employees save with unmatched discounts? Schedule a demo today to get started!
With the summer coming to a close, we are celebrating the success of the internship class over the past year. From leading projects to participating in training and skill buildings, the interns were fully immersed in what a career at PerkSpot looks like. Not only that, but with a variety of different backgrounds and experiences, our interns spread out across multiple teams ranging from sales to engineering.
Each of the interns exceeded their manager’s expectations while participating in projects and taking ownership of their responsibilities. Unlike other internships, our program is dedicated to providing real value during the duration of their time with PerkSpot.
Week by Week Timeline
Managers created an overall framework to get each intern’s project done and achieve their goals. In doing so, this allowed them to get the experience that was relevant to their major while exploring their interests with real life examples and tools.
Team Support
Intern’s were challenged with a larger sized project for the majority of their program. In an effort to build relationships amongst our interns, we created a friendly atmosphere with someone to lean on for advice or provide support throughout the process!
Skill Building Days
As part of the internship, we dedicated a full day to building useful skills in the workplace, like DISC assessments, mental health and ways to avoid burnout, time management, giving and accepting feedback, and many more.
Our humble beginnings remind us that there is no job too big or too small when it comes to the success of our team. Therefore, our interns involvement with every project with had an impact, no matter the size. We’re beyond grateful for each and every one of their contributions!
People, be they employees, users, clients, or merchants, are at the center of everything we do and it’s our goal to serve them as best we can. As part of the intern’s time, they planned a company-wide event for all PerkSpotters to attend. Based on superlatives, the intern’s had everyone submit their votes for a variety of categories. It was an exciting way to recognize and get to know the great PerkSpotters of the company.
We held an after work event at the office along with a company-wide picnic in downtown Chicago to celebrate an exciting summer and the great work of each of the interns. It was a great time getting together and having some fun!
Check out some of our favorite memories from the summer below!
Thanks again to our amazing interns,
Are you interested in an internship with PerkSpot in the future? Stay tuned for our open positions on our careers page. Check out our other open roles in the meantime!
Local businesses have faced increased challenges over the past few years. The pandemic, increased inflation, and supply chain disruptions have all contributed to the struggles to survive. Starting a business can be daunting in itself. What better way to lend a helping hand than to offer benefits to your employees that support their local favorites? Employees save and businesses grow their customer base, it’s a win/win situation.
There are plenty of reasons to support local including sustainability, product diversity, an increase in local jobs, innovation, and many more. Locally owned businesses also have a large impact on the overall wellness of their respective communities. For example, compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community.
One way to provide employees with a financial benefit that helps stretch their paycheck is to implement an employee discount program. An employee discount program is a marketplace of exclusive discounts, negotiated by a team of experts. Employees can access their discounts through their discount portal and browse deals, search by brand or category, discover curated and personalized discounts relevant to their interests, and enjoy savings on a variety of products and services.
Compared to similar discount programs, one unique feature PerkSpot offers is the option to “Suggest a Business”. Members have the option to fill out a form with the business information and PerkSpot will reach out within 5 business days to secure an exclusive offer for their perks portal. This allows members to save on all things, including small businesses.
Clients from across all industries have taken advantage of local savings through PerkSpot including Mayo Clinic. Thousands of patients from around the world travel to Mayo Clinic on a daily basis seeking top-notch care. Not only has Mayo Clinic invested in their employees by partnering with PerkSpot, but they have also used PerkSpot’s “Suggest a Business” feature to recommend local vendors to be added to their discount portal. “The Suggest a Business functionality is great for adding additional discount opportunities for our staff,” shared Betty Smith, Employee Purchase Program Coordinator.
PerkSpot provides a financial benefit to your employees, and by suggesting local businesses we also support your community. If providing impactful discounts and shopping local interests you, PerkSpot could be the perfect benefit for your employees. Interested in learning more? Schedule a demo today!
The dreaded micromanager is the bane of any productive workspace. We’ve all been there – the manager who needs to be CC’d on every email. The boss who demands reports so often that you can’t get any real work done. Even the coworker who nit-picks everything you do. It’s no secret that micromanagement in all its forms is one of the biggest contributors to employee disengagement and ‘quiet quitting’; a 2014 survey from Accountemps reported that 59% of employees have worked for or with a micromanager, and the percent of workers who reported micromanagement hurting their morale – 68% – has only gone up in recent years, with a recent survey from Trinity Solutions reporting a whopping 85% of respondents citing micromanagement as a personal morale-killer.
Micromanagement is both one of the most common and most bothersome of workplace ills because it is difficult to identify, and even more difficult to adequately address. But the first step of handling micromanagement is to recognize what’s going on, and to differentiate micromanagement from attentive management! Below are some common traits of micromanagement that can help you identify it at your workplace.
Reporting is a crucial part of understanding and improving campaigns. Still, a manager who requests excessive reports on projects can serve as more of a detriment than an incentive. Daily check-ins on the same task, for instance, tend to increase stress and decrease productivity. If a manager is hanging over their shoulder, it’ll leave employees thinking more about their check-in meeting than the project itself. An organized routine for project check-ins on a weekly or biweekly basis can go a long way in cutting down micromanagement.
Detail-oriented management is a great trait, especially for managers who need to oversee complex projects with many moving parts. But sometimes, a focus on detail can slip into minutia, where workers start spending unproductive time addressing minor details at the manager’s request. It can be tricky to differentiate between detail-oriented style and genuine micromanagement, so to tell the difference try asking yourself: “Is this feedback rooted in industry best practice, or is it a personal preference?” When small details are being changed, backed up by data that shows it’ll improve the project, then you have an attentive manager; but if small details are being regularly changed for no clear reason other than personal preferences, you may have a micromanager on your hands.
The best way to deal with micromanagement is to help your manager realize that they don’t need to. Every worker is an individual who handles tasks in a unique way. Encourage them to be open to employees trying tasks in new ways, rather than always having to get their way. Personal solutions founded on good, mutual communication are the best solution to micromanagement, as they are for a great number of major HR stressors – take it from the personalized benefits experts! Discount programs like PerkSpot only work due to providing meaningful, individual solutions – the kind that you should be encouraging micromanagers to take, rather than zooming in on the little things.
