Happy new year folks! as we’ve entered a new year I want to share 8 employee benefits you should look for in the new job that you might be applying for. Obviously negotiating your salary is **KEY**. I mean, benefits are not the ones that will pay the rent, your paycheck will. However, there are so many perks and benefits that can make your work more **enjoyable**, **save you money**, or **improve the work-life balance** that you are seeking. It’s not all about the benjamins baby.

I know that some of the perks I’ll be mentioning might not be existent in certain industries. So that being said, do you research to find out what companies are providing as their benefits in the industry you are applying for. And if it’s important for you, look for companies that provide them or negotiate it during the interview process. So here are 8 employee benefits to look for in a job in 2022!

1. Unlimited PTO

I know that this might be unheard of in some industries but there are companies that do provide ‘‘unlimited’’ PTO. I’m using the quote sign here because this will always need the approval of your manager but nonetheless, you can take as many days off and also just get paid for it. If it’s not unlimited PTO, check how flexible the company is with taking days off when it’s your birthday for example or when you have to go to the dentist. Or when you fall sick or when your child gets sick. Some companies are very strict in terms of hours that you’re not working and some are very flexible.

And let’s be honest, how great is it, that you can do the job you love and also have time to travel and see the world. Not worrying about how many days you have left and therefore having enough time to spend with your loved ones around the world is a huge privilege. I can speak from experience that there are many tech companies that provide this perk for their employees.

2. RSU’s

RSU stands for Restricted Stock Units and is seen as another form of employee compensation. If you’ve never invested before, you can finally call yourself an investor! What basically happens here is that the company will release a number of shares to you that will be in a vesting period. When shares are in a vesting period, the shares can not be sold. Vesting periods take years but check with the company how many years the shares become vested. Employers use this form of compensation to encourage people to stay with the business for more years. So let’s say after 2 years of working for the company, all of the shares or an x amount of the total stocks will be vested. That means the shares no longer hold a restriction and can be sold. Once the shares are vested, it’s fully up to you to hold on to them if you feel like the value of these shares will only go up from here or you can also decide to sell them.

3. Work From Home allowance

A lot of people are currently working from home because… rona. This has changed the way we work and this has increased the need for more work-life balance. Not everyone has a home office set up already with the latest ergonomic office equipment. Mind you, these types of office equipment can also be quite costly. Especially if you want the good ones that will make sure you do not get back pains after 8 hours of staring at your laptop. If you know your role is remote or hybrid, seek if you can get a work from home allowance. This can be any amount that the company compensates for getting the right equipment to set up your home office. This can save you a lot of money!

4. Free lunch

If something can save you a lot of money is if the company provides free lunch. I remember the days when I went to the office, even if I didn’t pack anything I knew I was still provided with delicious breakfast and lunch. The urge to continue going outside to buy your favorite salad or sandwich will drop tremendously because continuously going out to buy food, on a monthly basis will cost you a lot of money that simply could have been saved.

5. Medical insurance

This can be an advantage when you live in a country where medical fees are incredibly expensive. In some countries, it is not obligated to have health insurance for instance in countries like the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. If you do not opt-in for health insurance and it happens that you become seriously ill, which you never know when it could happen, the costs that you end up facing can be very high. In The Netherlands for example, health insurance is compulsory. Every month, a certain fee is paid depending on your health insurance package. This prevents costs to become tremendously high when it happens that you need to get special medical treatment. It being compulsory kinda sucks if you barely get sick LOL. So medical insurance can be of great benefit especially if this is not something usual in the country you live in.

6. Bonuses

This is the obvious one. If it’s not possible to negotiate more salary, what about bonuses? Bonuses can come in all sorts. There are sign-on bonuses, quarterly bonuses, yearly, capped, uncapped… the list goes on and on. Especially when you’re applying for a commercial role, definitely ask how these bonus structures are in place.

7. Relocation reimbursement

You might not want to miss out on this one if you want to relocate to a different country or state. When recruiters urgently need candidates to fill a particular role and the majority of these talents are to be found outside of the country, they do consider offering a relocation reimbursement to persuade these talents to relocate. This can really make your life easier when you relocate to a country where you have to figure out the whole housing process and find out which neighborhood you want to live in. In some cities, you can quickly find something decent in a matter of days but there are cities where it could take you weeks or even months to find something that is worth the money the landlords are asking. Relocation reimbursement can just give you the time and space to seek your own place with less stress and not paying for expensive hotels or Airbnb’s in the meantime.

8 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TO LOOK FOR IN A JOB IN 2022 OTHER THAN THE PAYCHECK