Introduction
Being the first category of the discretionary benefits, protection programs outline specific conditions under which employees are eligible for compensation, which include long-term and short-term disability insurances, payment to families in case of an employee’s death, and retirement plans. As Martocchio (2017) argues in Chapter 10, law obliges employers to compensate the workers financially through wages as well as legally required benefits. However, there are also discretionary benefits, which are also practiced despite the fact that both types of benefits drain employers’ resources. The non-obligatory status of such programs is justified by the variability of jobs, some of which require workers to operate in hazardous environments, while others presuppose a safe workspace, which leads to competition between job seekers for employers with discretionary benefits. According to Lester et al. (2021), “large disparities in access to mandated and discretionary benefits, particularly since so many service sector jobs are considered part-time and pay a subminimum wage” (p.26). Types of work differ in their effect on the health of employees; subsequently, it is not reasonable to force broker firms to institute the same life insurances as mining companies do.
Paid Time Off
Although it may seem as a complete financial loss for the employers, many of them offer paid time-off as another discretionary benefit that allows workers to receive payment for the time that is not spent at work. In Chapter 12, Martocchio (2017) writes about part-time employees, whose main advantage is flexibility in terms of their schedule and time at work, while their main disadvantage is high turnover. The employer’ strategy to keep these employees is depicted in Chapter 9, where paid time off is presented as a form of compensation for full day at work (Martocchio, 2017). Current research suggests that the more time is spent working without rest, the worse the subsequent performance will be, which implies the necessity of using paid time-off to allow employees to recuperate their energy and continue working efficiently (Tsao et al., 2021). Job candidates are driven toward more attractive positions that compensate them better, which may result in employees leaving an unfavorable employer. As a result, employees benefit because they can take a break or vacation, while employers ensure the continued performance of their workers due to adequate rest conditions.
Services
Services represent another way for employers to compensate their workers who have life complications unrelated to jobs, which include but are not limited to pregnancy, family care, university tuition, transportation fees, and other circumstances impeding work. In Chapter 11, Martocchio (2017) writes about executives who face similar problems, yet do not lack for finances because they are “highly compensated employees” (p. 255). Services present an effective tradeoff between employers who expect performance and lower-level employees who expect proper compensation. Employers may help their employees cope with personal problems because a healthy, focused worker costs less than a stressed, overworked employee prone to illnesses (Martocchio, 2017). The range of services may include child supervision, tuition reimbursement, company-provided transportation, wellness programs, and other ways the employer ensures control over their employees’ problems. As a result, workers are less stressed about the circumstances preventing them from immersing themselves in work fully, while employers ensure the loyalty and motivation of the workforce, which can be summarized as a win-win arrangement for both parties.
References
Lester, G. V., Brock Baskin, M. E., & Clinton, M. S. (2021). Employer-sponsored benefits in the United States: The past, present, and future.Compensation & Benefits Review, 53(1), 24-42. Web.
Martocchio, J. J. (2017). Strategic compensation: A human resource management approach. Pearson.
Tsao, L., Kim, S., Ma, L., & Nussbaum, M. A. (2021). An exploratory study comparing three work/rest schedules during simulated repetitive precision work.Ergonomics, 64(12), 1579-1594. Web.