“If you can engage people and work around their needs, you can improve loyalty and retention and save money on recruitment costs.”

– David Morel, CEO of Tiger Recruitment

The success of any organization depends on its employees. Retaining employees is just as important as recruiting top talent. This not only saves costs but also ensures the long-term growth of a company.

In today’s highly competitive world, keeping dedicated employees is not easy. Every company clamors to get the best workforce. In this bid, they tend to offer benefits that few people can say no to. In such a cut-throat environment, it becomes highly important to focus on employee needs and meet their expectations. Today’s employees take basic perks like health insurance, paid time off, and stock options for granted. If organizations want to maintain a loyal workforce, they have to think outside the box and provide unconventional perks that would make sure that their staff do not dream of leaving the company. Some unique benefits may seem insignificant at first glance. They may even appear unnecessary. However, these fringe perks often become the deciding factor in both recruitment and retention. People tend to choose companies that go above and beyond for them.

You may be wondering what these unconventional benefits can be. Let’s explore what our experts recommend.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed by contributors reflect their professional experiences and opinions. Any references to mental health or neuroscience are informational and not intended as medical advice.

Work-Life Boundaries Earn Employee Loyalty and Effort

One of my commitments to my employees that has gotten excellent feedback is enforcing clear, strong boundaries between work life and home life. If it’s outside of an employee’s working hours, they know that I will never ask them for anything. If they booked time off and it was approved, I won’t be reaching out to them. Even during crunch time, I’d much rather miss a deadline by a day or two than overwork my team. In exchange for this, they give me their best efforts during working hours.

Jonathan Palley, CEO, QR Codes Unlimited

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Flexible Rewards Create Personal Connection to Performance

One of the most unexpected ways we’ve boosted employee engagement is by giving team members flexible reward options. Instead of standard bonuses, we allow employees to redeem points for meaningful rewards. Some choose travel, others curated merchandise, or branded debit cards. Giving people choice creates a stronger emotional connection to the incentive, making it feel personal and rewarding.

We pair these rewards with customer rebate programs, ensuring that recognition flows in both directions. When employees see how their contributions directly impact clients who benefit from rebate programs, it strengthens the connection between performance and results. It also helps reinforce a culture where employees feel their efforts matter to more than just the bottom line.

Retention improves naturally when employees feel appreciated in ways that align with their values. We’ve learned that incentives work best when they offer personal relevance and a clear link to outcomes. This combination of flexible rewards and visible customer impact builds loyalty while creating a work environment people are excited to be part of.

Ben Wieder, CEO, Level 6 Incentives

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Shift from Self-Promotion to Shared Growth Transforms Networking

The mindset that made networking easier for me was shifting from self promotion to shared growth. When I stopped worrying about how I was perceived and focused on what I could learn everything began to flow naturally. My conversations became more meaningful and less forced because they were driven by genuine curiosity. It was no longer about presenting an image but about building trust through authentic exchanges that encouraged learning on both sides.

This simple shift allowed me to form lasting relationships built on mutual respect and understanding. I realised that networking works best when both people gain something valuable from the interaction. When each conversation leaves both sides inspired it creates a foundation for collaboration that feels natural. Networking then becomes not an obligation but a continuous exchange of ideas that fuels personal and professional growth.

Christopher Pappas, Founder, eLearning Industry Inc

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Life Design Days Fuel Personal Growth and Retention

One unconventional benefit that’s had a real impact on retention is “life design days”—paid days employees can use for anything that supports their personal growth or wellbeing, without needing to justify it as “time off.”

It’s not vacation, and it’s not sick leave. It’s time deliberately set aside for what keeps people grounded and inspired—whether that’s learning pottery, attending a therapy session, volunteering, or planning a passion project. When we introduced it, the idea was to acknowledge that personal fulfilment fuels professional performance. The result was far more powerful than expected.

People came back more energized, and surprisingly, it sparked cross-team conversations about purpose. Managers began talking with their teams about what genuinely motivates them—not just what’s on the task list. That small shift improved connection and empathy across the board.

It also broke the cycle of “perform or burn out.” Instead of waiting for people to hit a breaking point, we built in permission to pause and refocus. Retention improved because employees didn’t feel they had to choose between their job and their life—they could integrate both.

The most valuable benefits today aren’t always monetary. They’re the ones that signal trust and humanity, that say, “We see you as a whole person.” When people feel safe to grow, they stay—not just for the paycheck, but for the culture that lets them breathe.

John Mac, Founder, OPENBATT

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Mental Recovery Policies Boost Retention by 40%

The benefit that shocked me most wasn’t unlimited PTO or fancy perks, it was letting people admit when they’re mentally fried without punishing them for it. One tech company I consulted with introduced “cognitive recovery days” where employees could take off specifically for mental exhaustion, no questions asked, no diagnosis required. Retention shot up 40% in a year, and here’s why: their brains stopped associating work with unsustainable depletion.

Most benefits target surface-level comfort, free snacks or gym memberships, but they don’t address the core neurobiological issue, which is that chronic stress literally shrinks the hippocampus and kills your ability to learn, adapt, or give a damn about your job. When employees feel trapped in a system that demands they pretend they’re fine when they’re falling apart, their brain’s threat detection system stays activated and they start scanning for exit routes. You can’t retention-bonus your way out of that.

I worked with a financial services firm that did something even weirder. They gave every employee a “failure budget,” basically permission to screw up on one experimental project per quarter with zero career consequences. Sounds risky, but what it actually did was activate the brain’s exploratory circuitry, the same dopamine pathways that make toddlers fearless and curious. Suddenly people were innovating instead of playing it safe, and they stopped leaving for “more creative” roles elsewhere because they had creative license right where they were.

The unconventional benefits that work aren’t about adding more stuff, they’re about removing the psychological threats that make talented people bail. Your brain doesn’t care about ping pong tables when it’s stuck in survival mode. Give people autonomy, psychological safety, and actual recovery time, and their prefrontal cortex will choose to stay because it finally feels like growth is possible.

Dr. Sydney Ceruto, Founder, MindLAB Neuroscience

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Pet-Inclusive Flexibility Builds Loyalty Among Team Members

One unconventional benefit that’s made a real impact on retention at Pawland is offering ‘pet-inclusive flexibility.’ Instead of just remote work or time off, we give team members the option to bring their pets to our workspace or take pet-care days when needed. It may sound small, but for pet parents, it removes a constant layer of stress and builds real loyalty. When employees feel their personal life-especially something as emotionally important as their pet-is acknowledged and supported, they stay longer, perform better, and speak highly of the company culture.

Skandashree Bali, CEO & Co-Founder, Pawland

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Unlimited Leave Promotes Trust and Prevents Burnout

One unconventional benefit that’s made a real difference in retention is offering unlimited leave. At first, many business owners hesitate to implement it—worried it might lead to abuse or loss of productivity—but in practice, the opposite usually happens.

When employees are trusted to manage their own time, it sends a powerful message: the company values outcomes over hours. That sense of autonomy and respect changes how people engage with their work. Most team members don’t take advantage of it; instead, they become more mindful about balance and performance.

Unlimited leave policies also help reduce burnout and turnover, especially in small businesses or startups where workloads can fluctuate. It allows employees to take time off when they truly need it, rather than banking or negotiating for limited vacation days. Over time, the company benefits from higher morale, stronger loyalty, and a reputation as a workplace that genuinely supports well-being—without sacrificing accountability or results.

Derek Colvin, Co-Founder & CEO, ZORS

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Knee Care Benefits Reduce Turnover in Physical Trades

We offer “knee care” benefits—covering custom knee pads, orthopedic insoles, and one massage per month for installers. Flooring installation destroys joints, and this $100/month investment per installer dramatically reduced turnover and sick days. Our team knows we care about their physical wellbeing in a trade that typically treats bodies as disposable. The best employees want to work where their long-term health matters.

Dan Grigin, Founder & General Manager, Elephant Floors

About Humane HR Perspectives

Our round-up series “Humane HR Perspectives” examines the fundamentals of humanising human resources (HR) from the perspectives of top authorities within and relevant to the industry. Q&A sessions with founders, CEOs, HR professionals, business leaders, and other significant players who are influencing the direction of HR are included in every edition.

Throughout the employee life cycle, we address a wide range of subjects in this series, including recruitment and selection, onboarding, training and development, performance management, employee engagement, pay and benefits, and more. We also go over important topics like compliance, change management in the workplace, morale and welfare, workplace communications, and diversity and inclusion.

The “Humane HR Perspectives” series offers insightful advice and practical examples to help develop a more encouraging, productive, and successful workplace—whether you’re an HR professional, a business leader, or just someone who is enthusiastic about creating a great work environment. Join us as we explore the approaches, difficulties, and triumphs that characterise HR humanisation and acquire unique access to the knowledge and experiences of individuals spearheading the movement.

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