60 Employee Benefits You Didn’t Know You’re Already Offering

Originally published 2017 | Updated 2026

Here’s something I’ve been saying for about a decade now that still isn’t landing the way it should: your benefits package is a marketing document. Not a policy doc. Not an HR checklist. A marketing document.

I wrote the original version of this post back in 2017, and the core argument hasn’t changed. But the landscape absolutely has. Back then I was trying to convince people that work-flex and no dress codes counted as legitimate perks. Now I’m having to explain why AI stipends, mental health coverage that actually covers things, and student loan repayment aren’t just “nice to have” items for the progressive companies… they’re table stakes for anyone who wants to compete for talent.

And yet. I still talk to HR leaders and founders every single week who have no idea they’re sitting on a goldmine of compelling benefits they’ve never thought to market. So let’s do this again, shall we? Updated, expanded, and this time with receipts.

(If you think you have nothing to offer candidates, I promise you: you’re wrong. And I’m about to prove it.)

Before the List: Why Your Benefits Are Your Best Employer Branding Tool

I want to park here for a second before we get to the list, because this is the part most people skip, and it’s the part that actually makes the list matter.

Work flexibility is still the #1 thing candidates want in 2025. Are you marketing yours? Hint: most companies aren’t.

Your benefits aren’t just perks. They’re signals. They tell candidates who you are, what you value, and whether you can be trusted before they’ve spoken to a single recruiter. In a world where roughly three-quarters of young professionals look at a company’s reputation and how it treats employees before they even apply, your benefits copy is doing candidate screening for you. The question is whether it’s screening in the right people or accidentally screening everyone out.

Here’s what the research actually shows:

• A strong employer brand can cut recruitment costs by up to 50% by attracting organic applicants instead of relying on expensive ad spend and agency fees. (Universum, 2024)
• Employers with strong brands also hire significantly faster, because candidates already know and like what they stand for.
• Companies with strong employer brands experience meaningfully lower turnover.
• Referred hires, the ones who come in because your employees couldn’t stop talking about how great it is to work there, stay substantially longer than non-referrals.

The connective tissue here? Benefits are how you earn those referrals. Benefits are how you build that brand. And most companies are marketing them terribly, or not at all.

Benefit Type	Employer Branding Effect	Source
Flexible & remote work	Attracts candidates seeking work-life balance, widens talent pool	Universum, 2024
Mental health & wellbeing support	Signals people-first culture, boosts engagement and loyalty	Mercer, 2025
Student loan & education support	Differentiates offers for early-career talent, aids retention	IRS, 2025
AI stipends & learning	Brands you as innovative and future-ready	Compt, 2025
Inclusive/DEI hiring & policies	Builds trust with underrepresented talent, improves quality of hire	Universum, 2024

Okay. Now the list. I’ve expanded the original 50 to 60, because it’s 2025 and there’s more to say.

The Flexibility Benefits (Still #1, Still Underutilized)

Work flexibility remains the undisputed top desire of the modern workforce, regardless of generation. Every year I think this will shift and every year the data says nope, still this. Here’s the thing though: most companies offer some form of flex and just… don’t say so in their job ads. That’s a marketing failure, not a benefits failure.

1. Work-flex: when life actually allows it.
By far the number one desire across every demographic, and still more flexible to implement than most managers are willing to admit. Start with flexible start and end times. Then go from there. Don’t overthink it. For a deeper look at how this plays into broader workforce trends, our post on the modern workweek revolution is worth a read.

2. Job sharing.
This is genuinely a lifeline for parents coming back from leave, for people who want to contribute but aren’t ready to ramp to 40 hours (and may never be), and for folks who might otherwise go the consulting route because they need more flexibility. It’s not a lesser option. It’s a strategic one.

3. Remote and hybrid work.
If you haven’t figured out a remote work policy yet, that’s a whole other conversation. But if you have even partial remote options, market them explicitly. “Work from home 2 days per week” in a job ad is not a minor detail. It is, for many candidates, the deciding factor. If your team is struggling with the boundaries that come with remote work, we’ve written about how to prevent remote work burnout too.

4. A set schedule.
For the new parent, the senior student, the grandfather who babysits on Tuesdays: a predictable schedule is a godsend and a genuine benefit. Not everyone is looking for flexibility. Some people are looking for certainty.

5. A flexible schedule.
On the flip side, some people are in a band. Or they’re picking up a second gig on the side. Or they want summers lighter. For them, a truly flexible schedule is its own category of benefit.

6. Schedules that work around school and caregiving.
If your standard hours run 8-5, how much would really change if someone worked 8-3 instead? You might unlock an enormous talent pool just by adjusting the window. Pro-rate PTO, deliverables, and expectations accordingly.

7. Benefits for part-time workers.
Full-time benefits packages are table stakes for full-timers. But extending meaningful benefits to part-time workers, think health coverage, PTO, even partial 401k matching, signals that you see them as full humans, not just fill-ins.

8. Results-only work environment (ROWE).
For those who are consistently delivering well above expectations, ROWE lets them work when and how they work best, not just clock the hours. If you can offer this even selectively, your high performers will stay. This also connects to broader work-life integration conversations we’ve covered in our post on creating work-life balance beyond the 9-to-5.

The 2025/2026 Additions: Benefits That Didn’t Exist (or Matter) 8 Years Ago

These are the ones I’m adding to the original list. If you’re not thinking about these as recruiting and retention tools, you are leaving serious competitive advantage on the table. And given that we’re squarely in the HR tech AI revolution, some of these have moved from “forward-thinking” to “expected” faster than anyone predicted.

9. Mental health coverage that actually covers things.
Mental health coverage has, for too long, been the fine print in the health insurance section. If you offer virtual therapy, text-based counseling, more covered sessions per year, or mental-health-specific apps, call that out explicitly. Not as “EAP access” buried in paragraph four. As “mental health coverage.” Those are two very different signals to candidates who are actively looking for this.

10. Flexible work as mental health infrastructure.
Flexible work, flexible schedules, and remote options are now widely recognized as mental health infrastructure. They help people attend therapy appointments, manage caregiving, reduce burnout, and support neurodivergent employees. Update your existing flex benefits copy to say this out loud. Our post on team coping strategies and work-life balance gets into this more.

11. Digital wellness and mental health apps.
Whether you bundle mental health apps, meditation tools, or wellness stipends into your benefits, if you’re paying for it, say so. “Digital mental health support” is a benefit. Call it that.

12. Student loan repayment assistance.
Under current U.S. rules, employers can contribute up to $5,250 per year per employee toward qualifying education expenses, including student loan repayment, on a tax-free basis. (IRS, 2025) Starting in 2027, that cap is set to be indexed for inflation. Even modest monthly contributions, say $100-$200/month, can materially reduce time-to-payoff and meaningfully improve retention, especially for early-career talent for whom this is often a tie-breaker between two otherwise similar offers.

13. Education support repositioned as debt support.
If you already offer tuition assistance, rebrand it. “Continuing education support” and “student loan and education support” are different things to a 28-year-old with $80k in loans. Combine the two where you can, or at least position tuition reimbursement as a stepping stone toward direct loan repayment.

14. AI tools stipend.
A dedicated AI tools stipend, typically around $20-$50/month or $250-$500/year per employee, lets people use the tools that make them faster, smarter, and more effective at their jobs. (Compt, 2025) You can brand this as an “Innovation Fund” or “AI Tools Budget.” Either way, it sends a signal that you’re building a future-focused organization. Given how fast generative AI job openings are skyrocketing, candidates are paying very close attention to which employers are investing in AI fluency.

15. Paid time to learn and experiment with AI.
Paid time for employees to experiment with AI tools, think hack days, 20% time, or structured “GenAI bootcamps,” transforms AI from “one more thing to learn” into a genuine growth opportunity. This is a retention play as much as it is a productivity play. The companies that help employees navigate the human-AI dynamic rather than leaving them to figure it out alone are the ones that will attract the next generation of talent.

The Workplace Environment Benefits

These are the ones that cost almost nothing and get overlooked constantly. Pay attention.

16. Free or subsidized food.
Granola bars and fresh fruit are not expensive. The goodwill they generate is disproportionate to the cost, and for employees who are genuinely stretched financially, this matters in ways you can’t always see. If they can take home food when money is tight, so much the better.

17. No dress code.
This is crucial to so many people, especially younger workers. I cannot tell you how many people take out their piercings and cover their tattoos when they come in to interview. One recruiter I know put “wear what you want” in his job ad and was overrun with applications. Dress codes cost candidates money before they’ve earned their first paycheck. No logos, non-skid shoes, matching sets… it adds up fast.

18. Phone-free work (if it’s true).
Some people hate talking on the phone. Lots of the current workforce especially. If your job doesn’t require phone work, say that explicitly. It’s a bigger draw than you’d think.

19. All-phone work with the right setup.
On the other end, some people could talk all day and love it. Bluetooth headsets so they can move. Ergonomic setups for long call shifts. Let them do what they do best.

20. Flexible workspace configurations.
In our offices at Red Branch we have a living room area, shared desks, private offices, a round table, a standup bar, and a cycle desk. People move around throughout the day. Flexible workspace accommodates different working styles without requiring you to build an entirely new office.

21. Access to private/quiet spaces.
Some people loathe open offices (valid). A private space to get away and work uninterrupted is a benefit. If you only have a few, rotate them as an employee recognition perk.

22. The right level of coworker interaction.
Introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts all need something different. If your culture offers real opportunities to connect with coworkers, market that. If it’s heads-down-silent all day, say that instead. Either can be a selling point to the right person. Our post on 7 ways to engage employees digs into how workplace culture and connection actually drive engagement.

23. Ability to have background TV or music.
Some people work beautifully while half-watching TV. In jobs where it’s safe and practical, this is a remarkably easy benefit to offer and an unreasonably effective recruiting hook.

24. Social media access.
Not locking down social media access (where appropriate) means potential employee advocates posting on your behalf and a signal that you trust your people. That trust is the actual benefit.

Health, Wellbeing, and Financial Benefits

25. Health coverage.
If you can swing it, pay 100% of employee health insurance. If you can do more, cover their family too. The loyalty that buys you is worth more than the line item. It’s also worth noting that benefits like menopause support and inclusive health coverage are having a serious moment right now, and we’ve written about supporting employees through menopause at work if that’s a conversation your org is starting to have.

26. Gym access or wellness reimbursement.
A subsidized gym membership feels like a big benefit but often costs next to nothing, especially if you partner with a smaller local gym. They get clients. You get the benefit. Human nature says about half your employees will actually use it, which keeps your costs down anyway.

27. Tech and equipment.
Company phone, company laptop, or a setup stipend so remote workers can outfit a proper home office. For remote roles especially, this signals you take the work and the worker seriously.

28. Transportation and commute support.
Most people use their personal vehicles for work in some capacity. Mileage reimbursement is expected at minimum. A company car for heavy travel roles is a deal-maker.

29. Location and commute proximity.
If you’re near public transit, a bike path, or major commuter routes, say so in your job ad. Proximity to a candidate’s home or school is a benefit many companies forget to mention.

30. Rides to work.
Shuttles, vanpools, ride reimbursements. I’ve seen a $75/day shuttle solve what looked like a chronic attendance problem. The cause was a bus schedule change that made it nearly impossible for a group of employees to get to work on time. The solution cost almost nothing compared to the turnover it would have caused.

Work flexibility is still the #1 thing candidates want in 2025. Are you marketing yours? Hint: most companies aren’t.

Pay, Performance, and Financial Benefits

31. Pay for performance.
I watched my husband lose his motivation in a sales role the moment he realized everyone was being paid the same regardless of output. Pay for performance keeps your top earners. Period. And if you’re overlooking pay raises as a retention tool, you’re already behind.

32. Contests and competitions.
Friendly competition for those who are wired that way, with enough visibility that even those who aren’t competitive feel recognized when they win.

33. Employee discounts.
Discounts on your own products and services. If people are working for your company they presumably believe in it. Let them experience it too.

34. Company phone or stipend.
Company phone or data reimbursement. The expectation that employees use their personal phones for work without compensation is increasingly, and rightly, a point of friction.

35. Recognition programs.
Whether it’s a social shout-out, an employee of the month parking spot, or a small bonus, the ability to make people feel genuinely seen costs almost nothing and means everything to the people who receive it. Don’t underestimate this one. See also: our post on celebrating employee appreciation day.

Learning, Growth, and Career Development Benefits

This is the category that HR tech companies are especially good at marketing when they bother to market it at all. Use that to your advantage.

36. Lunch & Learns as career accelerators.
Lunch & Learns aren’t just free food and slides. They build presentation skills, transfer knowledge across departments, create a flatter learning hierarchy, and give ambitious employees a way to lead before they have a title that says so. Market them as “internal leadership opportunities.” Because that’s what they are.

37. Continuing formal education.
Tuition reimbursement, certification support, internal training. If you’re already paying for this, say so in every job ad. And see note on item 13 above about repositioning this alongside student debt support.

38. Continuing informal education.
Conference stipends, online course access, book allowances. These signal to candidates that you’re investing in them beyond their current role.

39. Learning communities and internal clubs.
Reading clubs, coding workshops, cooking classes, anything that broadens your employees’ social circles and skill sets simultaneously. One of the strongest predictors of engagement is having a genuine friend at work. Programs like this create the conditions for that.

40. Mentoring programs.
Mentors are wildly underrated as a retention and development tool. Everyone needs someone to think out loud with. Structured mentoring programs give people that, and the data on their impact is compelling. This also pairs beautifully with a broader employee advocacy program if you’re building one.

41. 5-10-20% time for independent projects.
Letting employees spend a percentage of their time on their own projects and ideas keeps entrepreneurial spirits engaged without losing them to the solo consulting life.

42. Projects with defined timelines and goals.
Programs with clear beginning and end points combat one of the most common sources of workplace dissatisfaction: the feeling that the work never ends. Defined scopes create momentum and a genuine sense of accomplishment. This is something we think about a lot in strategic workforce planning contexts too.

DEI-Centered Benefits and Inclusive Hiring as a Competitive Advantage

I want to be real about something: I included several of these in the 2017 version under different names, and I’m going to call the updated versions what they actually are. DEI benefits. Inclusive hiring. These aren’t just HR policy boxes to check. They’re employer branding levers for talent pools that most of your competitors are still ignoring. If you’re not sure where your org stands, our post on whether you have a diverse work environment is a useful place to start.

43. Veteran hiring and support.
Veterans are disciplined, trained, focused, and loyal. What’s not to love? Veteran hiring is becoming more common but still isn’t where it should be. Get out of the civilian rut and market this explicitly. The global talent landscape is shifting, and companies that tap overlooked pools first win.

44. Welcoming caregivers returning to work.
It’s genuinely depressing that this is still a bullet point, but caregivers, especially moms, are still treated abominably in the job market. They are some of the most organized, multi-tasking, nonsense-filtering workers out there. If you’re actively recruiting people returning from caregiving leave, say so.

45. No resume gap penalty.
Sometimes life happens. A long illness. A difficult divorce. A year off for a mental health reset. None of these things make someone a bad employee. If you don’t automatically screen out resume gaps, say that. Loudly. This is evolving rapidly as more companies adopt skills-based hiring.

46. LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace.
If you’re actively building a safe and affirming workplace for LGBTQ+ employees, that’s a benefit. This community is creative, innovative, and, yes, they have the same professional skills as everyone else. Market it.

47. Skills-based and non-degree hiring.
I dropped out of high school. Then I made it through college with two kids under two. My formal credential path was… unconventional. If you’re hiring on skills rather than pedigree, you’re opening your talent pool to people who are genuinely exceptional but don’t have a traditional four-year degree to show for it. Name this as a DEI benefit. Because it is one.

48. Inclusive family and health benefits.
Inclusive family leave policies, domestic partner coverage, gender-affirming care: these are DEI benefits. Call them that in your materials, clearly and without apologizing for it.

49. ERGs and community programs.
Employee resource groups and structured volunteer days, especially when they intentionally support underrepresented employees and cross-functional networking, function as both DEI benefits and belonging tools. If your mentoring or volunteer programs are designed with inclusion in mind, say so explicitly.

50. Fair chance hiring.
If you’re willing to hire people who are rebuilding after a past conviction, you’re accessing a motivated, often overlooked talent pool. The FBI figured this out a long time ago. Many forward-thinking companies have followed suit.

Culture and Community Benefits

These are the ones that build the “I can’t imagine working anywhere else” feeling. Don’t underestimate them.

51. Regular gatherings and team time.
Every Friday I spend about $80 on wine, cheese, and snacks. We knock off an hour early and just chat. It’s a recruiting tool, a retention tool, an informal feedback session, and a team bonding moment all in one. Give people time to just be together.

52. Access to company tech for personal projects.
Whether it’s access to your company’s platform, products, or technology for personal projects, giving people permission to create using your tools deepens their expertise with your product at the same time. Win-win.

53. Proximity to amenities.
Being close to bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, or gyms is a convenience benefit. Being near schools or daycares is a lifeline. If your office location works in your favor for any of these, put it in the job ad.

54. Access to the latest tech and media.
Access to the newest books, software, games, tools, or technologies before they hit the mainstream. For curious, intellectually driven people, this is genuinely exciting.

55. No customer interaction (for roles where that’s true).
For people managing anxiety disorders, social anxiety, or who find client interaction genuinely draining: the promise of a role without daily customer interaction is a real benefit. Naming it as such is a small thing that can make a big difference in the right candidate’s decision.

56. Customer interaction and relationship work.
On the flip side, for relationship-builders, extroverts, and people who get energy from helping others, customer-facing work is the benefit. Make sure your job ads reflect which you’re actually offering.

57. No heavy computer skills required (for applicable roles).
Not everyone needs to be tech-native to do their job well. If you have roles that don’t require advanced computer skills, say that explicitly. You’ll access a wider, often older and more experienced, talent pool.

58. Welcoming retirees.
Maybe it won’t turn out exactly like The Intern, but retirees bring institutional knowledge, mentorship capacity, and a work ethic that’s genuinely hard to replicate. They’re a wildly underused talent pool. See our piece on the evolving job market and retirees in the workforce for more on this trend.

59. Flexible schedules for non-traditional lifestyles.
For those who are in a band, pursuing a side hustle, or just want more autonomy over when they’re working: a truly flexible schedule that accommodates a non-traditional life is its own category of benefit.

60. Paid volunteer time.
Giving employees paid time to volunteer, especially together, builds teamwork, creates meaning in the workplace, and positions your company as one that gives a damn about something beyond its own bottom line. That matters to a lot of candidates, and it shows up in employee advocacy in meaningful ways.

The Bottom Line: Stop Hiding Your Best Selling Points

Here’s what I keep coming back to after 20 years in HR tech marketing: most companies have genuinely good things to offer. They just don’t know how to say it. Or they assume everyone already knows. Or they’re waiting until they have something fancier to announce.

Stop waiting.

Your benefits are employer branding. Every single item on this list is a data point that tells a candidate something about who you are and what it would feel like to work for you. Market them like you mean it, because in this talent market, the companies that tell their story most compellingly are the ones that attract and keep the best people.

And if you’re not sure how to turn your benefits into a brand story that actually connects with the candidates you’re trying to reach… well, that’s kind of our whole thing.

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Ready to turn your benefits into a recruiting advantage?

Red Branch Media has spent 15+ years helping HR tech companies market what they’re already doing in ways that actually land with candidates, buyers, and the broader market. We know the HR tech space inside and out, and we know how to translate “we have good culture” into employer brand content that moves.

Explore Red Branch Media’s HR Tech marketing services →

Benefits FAQs

Q: What employee benefits do candidates actually care about in 2025?

A: The top benefits candidates prioritize in 2025 include flexible work arrangements, mental health coverage that goes beyond basic EAP access, student loan repayment assistance, and AI learning stipends. Research from Universum (2024) shows that roughly 75% of young professionals evaluate a company’s reputation and how it treats employees before applying. Benefits that signal values, such as inclusive hiring practices and wellness support, carry significant weight alongside traditional compensation.

Q: Can small companies compete on benefits without a large budget?

A: Yes. Many of the most compelling employee benefits cost little to nothing to offer or market. Work flexibility, no dress code policies, results-based work environments, mentoring programs, and skills-first hiring practices are all high-value benefits that require process changes rather than budget. The bigger gap for most small companies isn’t the benefits themselves but how (and whether) they’re marketing them to candidates.

Q: What is an AI stipend and should employers offer one?

A: An AI stipend is a monthly or annual allowance that employees can use to pay for AI productivity tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or role-specific AI software. Benchmarks from Compt (2025) suggest a typical starting range of $20-$50 per month, or $250-$500 per year, per employee. Employers often brand these as “Innovation Funds” or “AI Tools Budgets.” Beyond the practical value, offering an AI stipend signals that your organization is investing in employee growth and future-readiness, which is increasingly important for attracting tech-savvy talent.

Q: Can employers help pay off student loans tax-free?

A: Yes. Under current U.S. tax rules, employers can contribute up to $5,250 per year per employee toward qualifying education expenses, including student loan repayment, on a tax-free basis through formal educational assistance programs (Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code). Starting in 2027, this cap will be indexed for inflation. Even modest contributions of $100-$200 per month can significantly reduce an employee’s time to loan payoff and meaningfully improve retention, particularly for early-career workers.

Q: How do employee benefits function as employer branding tools?

A: Employee benefits communicate organizational values before a candidate ever speaks to a recruiter. A company that offers mental health coverage, AI learning stipends, inclusive hiring policies, and flexible work schedules signals people-first values without needing to say so explicitly. According to Universum research, strong employer brands can reduce recruitment costs by up to 50% and cut time-to-hire significantly, largely because well-communicated benefits attract better-fit candidates organically.

Q: What are DEI employee benefits?

A: DEI employee benefits are policies and programs that actively support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. They include inclusive hiring practices such as welcoming veterans, caregivers returning to work, LGBTQ+ employees, and candidates without four-year degrees; inclusive family benefits such as domestic partner coverage and gender-affirming care; employee resource groups (ERGs); and flexible schedules that support neurodiverse and caregiving employees. Many organizations already have DEI benefits in place but don’t explicitly name or market them as such.

Q: What employee benefits help with retention?

A: The benefits most strongly linked to retention include flexible work arrangements, mental health support, student loan repayment assistance, learning and development stipends, and recognition programs. Universum research indicates companies with strong employer brands (which are largely built through benefit communication) experience up to 28% lower turnover. Referred hires, who are more likely when employees feel genuinely supported, stay up to 45% longer than non-referred candidates.