In Türkiye, where inflation is rapidly increasing and the cost of living is rising, the biggest expectation of employees from employers is salary and raises. In addition to this expectation, it is seen that the fringe benefits offered by employers also play a big role in employee motivation. Fringe benefits such as food, clothing, transportation, birth/death/marriage benefits, shopping vouchers and education and life support both contribute to the family budget and increase employee loyalty.
However, the figures show that there is a serious satisfaction problem in this area. In Türkiye, the satisfaction rate with wage and fringe benefits policies is below 50 percent. A significant portion of employees either have insufficient information about fringe benefits or cannot effectively benefit from existing rights.
“Side Benefits Directly Affect Employee Well-being”
Atunis HR Management Consultancy General Manager Can Suntay states that employees being aware of their fringe benefits and being able to use them efficiently as they wish is an important source of motivation. Suntay says, “Fringe benefits are an important part of business life today, from the production line to the office worker. However, many employees either do not know what rights they have or cannot foresee how to use them efficiently. This rate varies between 20 and 50 percent.”
Companies See It As A Cost Factor
Companies’ perspective on fringe benefits is often shaped as a cost item rather than a motivational tool. Can Suntay, who says, “Fringe benefits given for employee loyalty lose their effect over time. Especially in inflationary periods, the cost factor becomes more prominent,” says that they have developed digital solutions to change this perspective. We want to bring innovation and different perspectives that will break taboos, and we want to highlight the fact that the employer determines the decision to invest in fringe benefits according to the employee’s preferences and expectations. While emphasizing that the freedom to use the wage and the right to choose should be in the employee’s hands as required by ILO standards, we want employees to be given the opportunity to manage their own budgets in this expensive environment.
The Choice is in the Hands of the Employee
The Facilis software developed by Atunis HR Management Consultancy allows employees to evaluate their fringe benefits budget according to their own priorities. With the “Flexible Reward” model, employees can organize their fringe benefits package according to their own needs. If there is an additional budget, they decide how to use it; if not, they can increase the desired benefit and decrease the other by bartering between existing benefits.
Higher Satisfaction with Same Salary
According to Suntay, it is possible to increase employee satisfaction with the same salary. “When employees are given the freedom to decide when and how they will use which side benefit, we can use the existing budget more efficiently with both legal exemptions and corporate discounts. This makes it easier for companies to invest in this area, in addition to limited wage increases, and if there is no investment, staying within the existing budget provides efficiency, more happiness and belonging.”
