【商業熱話】研究：6成受訪員工表示員工福利是考慮會否留任的重要因素 New survey reveals 60% of employees consider employee benefits as a critical factor in retention decision-making

政府統計處公布經季節性調整的失業率由去年12月至今年2月的3.3%下跌至今年1月至3月的3.1%， 數據回復至疫情前水平。不過，總就業人數依然未有明顯起色，最新季度香港勞動人口約376萬人，較2019年底仍減少逾20萬人。經濟雖逐漸復甦，但勞動人口卻未能跟上復甦的腳步，搶人才依然是各行各業的重要目標。

疫情對人力資源市場產生改變，雖然薪資和升遷對人才固然重要，但人才同時亦會考慮工作的意義、彈性與包容度。人力資源專家David Green曾指出：「員工的期待已經提高了。」因此企業要檢視自己招募、培育和留任人才的方式，包括提供完善的員工福利，這有助保留舊員工和吸引新員工。人力資源管理學會研究發現，6成受訪員工認為員工福利是考慮會否留任的重要因素。

事實上，大多數員工都希望在一個在乎他們所關心的事情的企業工作，其中例如員工的起居飲食，根據《今日美國》報道，提供食物予員工可以將他們的工作滿意度提升67％，反映食物福利是激勵員工的好方法。

有見及此，foodpanda企業平台「foodpanda for business」推出各項具特色的企業方案，讓企業為在家工作或在辦公室加班的員工提供美食津貼。除了提供津貼以外，foodpanda更提供其他服務，例如企業餐飲供應、膳食安排，甚至為辦公室補給零食供應，達致一站式服務。企業照顧員工的餐飲福利，既能有效體現企業的體貼度，又能展現僱主在乎員工的生活所需，而非單單業績。     

此外，「foodpanda for business」所提供的服務不單只惠及員工，更為人力資源部門簡化處理工作流程及節省金錢。根據用戶系統的數據，每月結帳單清楚列明每項交易細節，更有效地管理預算及對賬。現時foodpanda看準疫情後旅遊業迅速復蘇，更向旅遊業界提供有關服務的優惠。

較早前，foodpanda推出全港首個可重用餐具回收先導計劃「環保基金：走塑從『揀』開始」，為大眾客戶和企業客戶提供可重用餐具選擇。許多企業客戶亦深感興趣，希望了解項目中的環保目標，同時鼓勵員工及其他同業們實踐可持續發展。

foodpanda香港策略夥伴總監葉家敏指出，後疫情時期，企業以創新的方式照顧員工已成為新常態。「基本常規福利已經不足以吸引新一代人才，他們反而在乎員工福利是否夠chill。員工未必介意加班或工作壓力，而是更在乎企業照顧員工需求的貼心行為。」

員工福利是任何薪酬方案的重要元素，只要運用得宜，僱主就可以吸引和留住人才。不過，企業要確保能長期負擔向員工所提供的福利，若果福利成本過於高昂，可能會導致資源緊拙，日後再提供其他額外福利或加薪將會變得困難。

Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate eased to 3.1% in the January to March period, marking the eleventh consecutive monthly decline and slow return to pre-Covid levels. However, the total employment still decreased by 200,000 compared to 2019. The labour market did not fully improve alongside the continued revival of domestic economic activities. Employers are expected to make further efforts to attract talents.

The pandemic has changed the talent market, with job seekers now considering factors such as meaning, flexibility, and inclusiveness of work in addition to salary and promotion. David Green, a human resources expert, notes that employee expectations have risen, underscoring the importance for companies to review their recruitment, training, and retention strategies. One effective strategy is to provide comprehensive employee benefits that help retain current employees while attracting new ones. According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, employee benefits are a crucial factor in determining job satisfaction, with 60% of employees citing them as a significant factor in deciding whether to stay with a company.

Today's employees are looking for more than just a paycheck from their employers. They want to work for a company that values what they care about. One-way companies can show they care is by paying attention to their employees’ daily lives and diets. Research published in USA Today suggests that providing meals to employees can increase job satisfaction by up to 67%. By investing in their employees’ well-being, companies can demonstrate their appreciation and retain top talent.

Recognizing this need, foodpanda’s corporate arm "foodpanda for business" works with corporations to satisfy their food needs at the workplace. The service includes food allowances for employees who work from home or work overtime in the office. In addition, foodpanda offers various special corporate programs, such as catering services, meal arrangements, and even snack supplies for the office, providing a one-stop service for all corporate meal needs.

Apart from employee benefits, “foodpanda for business” can also help the HR team simplify their work processes and spare resources with an effective budget management system with every transaction clearly listed in a monthly statement. foodpanda has also seized the opportunity in providing services or exclusive discounts to help the travel and tourism industry speed up the economic recovery after the pandemic.

foodpanda recently launched “ECF: Choose to Reuse”, the first-ever closed-loop reusable packaging pilot programme for delivery platforms in Hong Kong, offering a more sustainable option to reduce waste at the source. foodpanda noticed an increasing interest from corporate customers who would like to understand the goals of this initiative and encourage their employees to achieve a low-carbon lifestyle.

By taking care of employees' catering benefits, companies can effectively demonstrate their thoughtfulness and show that they care about employees' needs in life, not just performance.

In the post-pandemic era, taking care of employees in innovative ways has become the new norm, according to Carmen Yip, Director of Strategic Partnerships at foodpanda Hong Kong. Basic employee benefits are no longer sufficient to attract the new generation of talent. Instead, employees are more interested in whether their benefits are "chill" enough. While employees may tolerate working overtime or experiencing work pressure, they value the thoughtful actions taken by companies to meet their needs.

Employee benefits play a crucial role in any compensation plan as they can help employers attract and retain talent. Therefore, companies should consider their employees’ needs when improving employee benefits packages. It is also important for companies to ensure that they can afford the benefits provided in the long term. Providing too many expensive benefits may backfire.