Stop offering employee benefits that aren’t actually benefits. Here’s how.
We’ve been posting jobs in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement for years, so we’ve definitely read over several hundred—if not thousands— of job descriptions, and we’ve noticed something in the benefits: a list of things that aren’t actually benefits, and many are vague benefits that don’t actually provide any useful information. In an effort to help employers clarify their benefits to attract top-notch candidates and help candidates ask clarifying questions during their interview and hiring process, we decided to clarify why some of these listed items are not, in fact, special benefits, but regular (or should be) employer requirements.
Fake benefits
Federal holidays off: A few job postings note that employees receive federal holidays off. Legally, holiday pay is not required, but come the fuck on. Offering your employees federal holidays off doesn’t deserve a cookie. And if employees do work those holidays, be sure to pay them time and a half.
Technology stipend: unless you’re a contractor and it’s written in your contract that you must use your own computer and other technology, stating to employees that you’ll provide them with the technology they’ll need to effectively do their job is not, in fact, a benefit. That’s the bare minimum of providing necessary supplies for a workplace. Providing a computer, paper, pens, a mouse, scrubs, face masks, and other office items should be standard. All organizations that are remote should include the cost of purchasing work-from-home office items for their employees, including covering some or all of an employee’s internet or phone bill. It should not be expected that employees will fund these things on their own or assumed they already have them. Not everyone has the economic flexibility to pay for items on their own, so it should never be assumed. Having some employees pay for these things out of pocket and others have them provided by the organization also creates an unequitable hierarchy within your organization. These items would automatically be provided in an office setting, so they should be in a remote work setting as well. Set employees up for success by providing them with everything they need to do their job to the fullest of their abilities.
Unpaid parental leave: This should be self-explanatory, but offering employees unpaid parental leave is not a benefit. Periodt. Employees should have paid parental leave no matter how long they’ve worked at the organization and no matter their FTE status. We work in the reproductive field. We believe as a value that everyone should be able to have the ability to decide if, when, and how to grow their families and that must be demonstrated through our workplace benefits policies such as paid parental leave.
Employee Assistance Programs: Some organizations pay into an employee assistance program (EAP) to offer a confidential hotline for employees to call into if they need support, referrals, or other assistance. Although these programs are confidential—because they’re a service paid for by an employer—an employee may not feel like they offer full confidentiality. Additionally, while the EAPs might be helpful for some employees, under no circumstances are they to be considered a replacement for offering medical insurance that covers talk therapy, psychiatry, or other mental health services.
“Fun” work culture: It’s great that you’re paying attention to organizational culture, but listing this on a job description, particularly under ‘benefits’, presents at least two problems. One, what’s “fun” to one or some employees is not fun for all, and two, a “fun” culture doesn’t pay medical bills or rent. Keep working on that organizational culture but also pay your employees a thriving wage and real medical benefits.
Things that should be made explicit because they’re standard and often vary by employer:
Many employers list benefits like paid time off, sick time, and health insurance, but don’t specify how much, who is eligible, and what’s covered until the employee’s first day. These things should be made explicit up front. If your organization’s health insurance doesn’t cover abortion or vision care, an employee may need to negotiate a higher salary to cover those additional costs. Be explicit about what benefits your organization does and does not offer. This will give employees the ability to do their research and have all of their information on hand when considering if the job is the right fit for them.
Paid time off: How much does your organization offer? “Generous vacation” isn’t a measurable amount and is extremely arbitrary. Do employees receive it automatically or is it accrued based on seniority and length of employment? It may sound radical, but you could just offer your employees unlimited paid time off. Of course employees would still need to discuss their time off with their manager and team, and they’d need to complete their work, but try starting off with trust and letting employees know that your organization believes that ample vacation time is critical to preventing burnout and a happy, healthy workplace.
Sick time: How much sick time do employees receive? Do employees get it automatically or does it accrue based on seniority and length of employment? To be honest, employees should be able to take as many sick days as they need because a limited set of sick days is difficult for chronically ill and disabled people, employees seeking abortions, and employees who may need to care for themselves during a challenging pregnancy. Plus, we work in the repro movement. We should support employees taking the days they need to heal. Try offering unlimited sick time that is inclusive of people with chronic and mental illnesses, and accessible to all employees regardless of length of employment or seniority.
Parental leave: The minimum for parental leave policies depends on the state that an employee lives in, but given the field we work in, we hope that our organizations will go above and beyond to ensure employees are able to support their growing families and a variety of pregnancy experiences. Your job descriptions should list what the parental leave policy is, how much time employees are able to take off, whether it is paid or unpaid (hopefully paid!), and an employee’s eligibility criteria. It should also not be limited by how long an employee has worked at an organization. Unintended pregnancies happen; people should not be forced to delay their pregnancy and family planning decisions because they haven’t worked at your organization for a year to qualify. What’s actually “generous”? At least six (6) months of paid parental leave that allows employees to take it after the birth of a child (irrespective of whether they were the birthing parent or not) and the adoption of a child no matter how long they have worked at the organization. Additionally, there should be a policy in place to support employees who need to take time off after an unexpected pregnancy loss such as a miscarriage or a stillbirth.
Medical, vision, and dental insurance: When it comes to insurance, be clear about what the policy is and what’s covered. Be ready to explain these policies to employees and job candidates, since information provided by health insurance companies is often difficult to decipher and not everyone has people in their lives to help them understand these systems. Is it fully paid by the employer or does the employee just have the option to purchase a plan through your organization and they’re on the hook for most of the costs? Does the insurance plan cover gender affirming care? Does it cover abortion? What happens for uncovered procedures like fertility treatments for queer people or only after documented infertility? Does your organization have a medical expenses fund for employees? Letting employees know upfront what’s covered and what isn’t will help them think about what salary they will need to negotiate for to cover any uncovered expenses and adjust their budget. Perhaps you can take an inventory of your current policies and create a fund for employees that might need medical expenses that should be covered based on your organization’s values. If this is something your organization aspires to but just can’t financially do right now, let prospective employees know that too.
Bereavement leave: Many organizations offer bereavement leave, but limit how much time an employee can take to grieve a loved one and which loved ones qualify. This feels both cruel and hollow to our movement’s values. Let employees know if your organization has a specific and limited number of days they can take off to grieve loved ones and if your organization limits which loved ones qualify . If your organization must set a policy naming which loved ones’ deaths qualify for bereavement leave, please make sure to remember that many families—particularly communities of color, queer folks, and poor families—have different ideas of kinship and need as much time to care for chosen family as they do biological family; for example, the inclusion of play cousins is just as important as biological siblings and best friends may be closer than biological family. To keep it simple, trust your employees enough that they know how much time they’ll need to grieve loved ones and have open lines of communication, not a limited arbitrary number of days based on capitalism and outdated beliefs of what makes a family.
Professional development: Be explicit about this. Are there stipends available for professional development? Or are these opportunities for employees to do more work, like volunteering for a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) committee, sharing their expertise and lived experiences for the same amount of pay? Do employees get to select their own professional development, or is it at the discretion of their manager? Is eligibility based on performance reviews? Provide more information so candidates are aware of what this benefit actually constitutes.