In the quest to retain employees, employers often ask us for creative employee benefits ideas. Fortunately, we have many answers as we regularly survey members around all things HR, including benefits. Below are 50+ ideas gleaned from four of our recent surveys: the Healthcare Benefits and Cost Survey, the Recruiting and Hiring Trends Survey, the Paid Holiday and Time Off Report, and the National Business Trends Survey.
The table below shows the percentage of respondents who identified offering the particular benefit and is sorted from most offered benefits to least. Short-term disability tops the report with 96% of employers offering while Lifestyle Accounts are at the bottom with just 1.4% offering them. Between these bookends are many creative ideas for you to consider at your workplace. Reach out to our HR advisors if you have any questions about implementing any of these ideas. Also, please share any success stories you’ve had with new benefits ideas in the comments below.
50+ Creative Employee Benefits for 2025
Benefit |
Percent Offering |
Short Term Disability |
95.9 |
Life Insurance (Company Paid) |
83.1 |
Long Term Disability |
83.1 |
Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) |
82.6 |
Life Insurance (Employee Paid) |
74.6 |
Referral bonus |
72.6 |
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) |
67.1 |
Increase vacation days |
55.4 |
Premium medical insurance |
54.8 |
Accident / Critical Illness Insurance |
54.5 |
Tuition reimbursement |
51.4 |
Relocation benefits |
50.3 |
Flexible work schedule |
49.7 |
Paid Parental Leave |
45.2 |
Performance bonus |
42.4 |
Increased 401k match |
38.4 |
Company-Branded Apparel |
35.2 |
Sign-on bonuses |
32.6 |
Free beverages / snacks |
30.5 |
Cancer Insurance |
29.1 |
Paid time off – volunteer work |
22.7 |
Enhance the benefits package |
22.0 |
Gym Membership (wellness, apparel) |
21.6 |
Hospital Indemnity Insurance |
21.6 |
Paid time off – voting |
21.4 |
Onsite fitness center |
19.2 |
Profit sharing |
16.9 |
Discounted Company Products or Services |
16.4 |
Discounted Tickets (e.g. movie theater, sports, theme parks, etc) |
15.5 |
Paid time off – school support |
15.5 |
Provide gift cards to combat rising inflation (grocery, gas, etc) |
15.3 |
Discounted Services (e.g. cell phone, car repair, hotel, etc) |
15.0 |
Other |
14.6 |
Credit Union |
13.6 |
Identity Theft Protection |
11.3 |
Long Term Care Insurance |
10.8 |
Unlimited PTO |
10.8 |
Reduce benefits costs |
10.2 |
PrePaid Legal |
9.4 |
Catered meals |
9.0 |
Pet Insurance |
8.9 |
Voluntary Leave Sharing Program |
8.5 |
Fuel allowance |
7.3 |
Matching Funds for Charitable Contributions |
7.0 |
Provide student loan assistance |
5.9 |
Paid time off – blood donation |
5.3 |
Reimbursement for internet for remote employees |
4.9 |
Reduced work week/schedule |
4.9 |
Home/Auto Insurance |
4.7 |
Stock options |
4.5 |
Paid sabbatical |
4.4 |
Scholarships for Employee Children |
4.2 |
Subsidized Childcare |
3.4 |
Concierge Services (e.g. dry cleaning, car wash, etc) |
1.9 |
Eldercare |
1.7 |
Lifestyle Accounts |
1.4 |
Additional Benefits Administration Resources
- Catapult Members can view the complete survey reports and our Benefits Administration Toolkit on the Member Hub.
- Learn more about how Catapult can simplify your organization’s benefits administration.