Employers are offering new benefits, from elder care to pet PTO

A few months ago, when Annika Cha adopted her rescue puppy Ollie, she tapped into her company’s “pawternity” policy.

Cha, 26, and based in St. Paul, Minn., is an account manager at 9Sail, a digital marketing agency with headquarters in West Islip, LI. She was able to take off four half-days thanks to the company policy that covers two days for employees upon adopting a dog or cat.

The first-time pet parent updated her Slack status to “PTO: Ollie” without needing to tap into any of her 18 annual days of paid time off to bond with her pooch.

“I live in an apartment with no balcony — I was trying to learn my puppy’s potty cues and work on potty training,” she recalled.

During house training, dog owner colleagues gave her tips and she felt “very supported and cared for from everyone in the company.”

Pet parents aren’t the only employees feeling their employers’ love. Charles, 58, director of customer experience at global technology company Cisco (last name omitted for privacy), has four grandchildren with another one on the way in mid-September.

Thanks to the company’s policy that launched in 2017, grandparent time off, Charles accesses three days of paid time off for every newborn grandchild. Last summer he did it twice when his grandson and granddaughter were born in Queens and New Jersey. Three more days are on deck this fall.

“The days were spent helping the parents get settled — doing errands for them, setting up baby furniture and giving them a break when they needed it,” said Charles. “It’s important I support my children during some of the most rewarding but also challenging times. I want to be present for these special moments because I love them and it brings me the ultimate joy to see my family grow.”

Many companies are now expanding their employee benefits coverage. They now cover fertility and family planning, financial and emotional support, mental health coverage, elder care support, pet bereavement leave, climate change and environmental support and beyond.

According to benefits consultancy firm NFP’s 2024 annual US Benefits Trend Report, interest in additional programs and services is high: 59% of workers are looking for nutrition and exercise programs, 58% want mental fitness programs (meditation, resiliency and stress management), 46% are interested in women’s health services and 44% are interested in caregiving for elderly or ill family members.

Experts say it’s a sign of the times.

“The introduction of these diverse and inclusive benefits is a reflection of the changing state of our families and the recognition that ‘it takes a village,’” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Workplace Intelligence, a thought leadership and research agency focused on the world of work, and author of “Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation” (Da Capo Lifelong Books). “This holistic approach to employee benefits not only fosters a more inclusive workplace, but also acknowledges the interconnectedness of work and personal life, promoting a more compassionate and understanding corporate culture.”

It’s a win-win situation, and ultimately both the employee and employer benefit. For the latter, empathy can result in loyalty, retention and ultimately improve the bottom line.

“Employees who feel their company values them as human beings and not just workers will want to stay with that company and their engagement will increase, helping drive revenue growth for the company,” said Gordon Marzano, owner and lead consultant of Wayne, NJ-based Marzano Human Resources Consulting.

On paper it’s one thing, in practice it’s another, however.

“Fringe benefits cultivate a healthy work environment, as long as there is a culture that encourages employees to take the fringe benefits,” said Lauren Becker, assistant general counsel and HR consultant in Greenpoint for Engage PEO, an HR outsourcing solution provider. “Simply providing fringe benefits on paper but promoting a culture where no one uses them is less likely to result in the cultural improvements that employers may be hoping for.”

If the company’s culture embraces innovative ideas, employees may feel empowered to speak up, especially before policy updates for 2025. Health, wealth and investment company Voya Financial, with headquarters in Midtown, surveys its employees to ask about their satisfaction and unmet needs.

“With five generations in the workplace, we need to review and refresh our benefits to meet the evolving needs of our employees,” said Carole Mendoza, vice president of benefits at Voya Financial, who also hears from employee-led councils (similar to employee resource groups) with new benefits ideas and stays on the pulse of industry trends.

“The market is also changing, so there are new services available that we’d never even thought of just five years ago,” said Mendoza.

She recently added a benefit to help employees navigate family building. That’s in addition to the decade-old policy of offering up to $25,000 for IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies. (It’s covered like other benefits under the medical plan with deductibles and coinsurance.)

Fertility benefits often take priority over other new perks in benefits. Corinne Jones, president and senior HR consultant of CJC Human Resources Consulting in Midtown, has seen IVF leave introduced more than up-and-coming ones like grandternity and pet bereavement. “This is a more common practice in the last 10 years than ever before,” said Jones. “For those that can’t start a family and want to, nothing compares in priority. Finding an employer that shares this priority is more important than any other benefit by far.”

These special benefits aren’t expected to fade anytime soon as employees and job seekers prioritize their needs, and companies evaluate and expand their coverage.

“The trends of offering unique family support-type employee benefits appear to be more than just passing fads; they are likely here to stay,” said Schawbel. “As the workforce becomes more diverse and as values around work and life continue to evolve, more organizations are expected to adopt similar policies to stay competitive in attracting and retaining talent.”