My ranking list of benefits:
- 401 (k) plans
- Medical insurance benefits
- Dental and vision coverage
- Paid sick time
- Life insurance
- Flexible scheduling
- Tuition assistance
- Relocation options
- Child care assistance
- Wellness programs (possible remote options)
As previously stated above, my top three most important benefits I not only want, but need, are 401 (k) plans, health insurance benefits, and dental and vision coverage. I would actually say that a dental and vision coverage would rank within the same position as medical insurance. The reason being that my family has a history of bad vision mainly from my mother’s side, and as of right now, I would say that I most likely take after her. My vision is not terrible, but I am confident that it will worsen as years go by. Additionally, 401 (k) plans are extremely important to me. This might stem from fear due to hearing others say that they wish they had a 401 (k) plan as they are now nearing their 60s, but through their experience, I had the chance to learn from their mistakes. Or at least what they view as their own mistake.
Paid sick time and life insurance has always been important, but since the pandemic, I have come to realize the large impact those two benefits truly have. I’m sure that employers have also come to realize the importance of those two for their employees in recent years as well. These two factors are relatively high on my ranking list due to my priorities and desires changing as the world changes. We did not realize the magnitude of this current pandemic, and who’s to say that we might not realize the impact a future pandemic could have.
My rankings for flexible scheduling, tuition assistance, and relocation options are a bit lower on my list because of where I am in my life. Currently, I do not necessarily have a whole lot of priorities after college other than working a full time employment position. I do have student loans, but with the help of my parents, we have created a payment plan that will work with my life and as my life changes year after year. Additionally, I am at a point in my life where I am not sure where my forever home will be. While looking into companies I was surprised to see that many of them offer relocation options and benefits for their employees. A company I recently interviewed with also offers that option as well. However, I still ranked it lower because relocating is not necessarily a priority and is not something that I am considering or wanting any time soon.
Lastly, child care assistance and wellness programs are not exactly crazy important to me right now. However, I see them intertwining together later in my life. After doing some research it looks like wellness programs are exponentially changing as the world changes. They are starting to offer remote work within wellness programs for employees, and I believe this will come in handy once I start to expand my family later on.
Utilizing my experience in company research for job purposes, I have realized that benefits heavily depend on the average age of employees at that specific organization. Some companies are known to hire employees right out of college, or their entry level positions are filled with bright-eyed and bushy-tailed recent college graduates. From that, I have been noticing a correlation between those employees and the company’s benefits. With a company I recently interviewed with, their entry level positions are filled with recent college graduates, and they offer benefits such as tuition assistance and relocation options. While talking to my older brother, he said that his company does not usually hire recent college grads, and that he does not have those two benefits available. It could be a reach, but I am noticing a stronger correlation between average employee age and stage in life, paired with certain benefits that the company offers. This could be due to wanting to attract certain employees for the company or attempting to keep a certain company culture alive.