The leisure sector is making a strong entry into the field of social benefits. 57% of Spanish employees say they would like to receive such offers from their company, according to the report. “Trends in flexible compensation 2022”, elaborated by Edenred on the occasion of the launch of Talent Trends, an initiative of the social benefits company to measure the impact of the well-being and care of Spanish employees.
Workers continue to demand classic social benefits. Food allowances Ticket Restaurant are the absolute dominator, with 67% of respondents considering it crucial to make flexible use of their salary with catering. This is followed by mobility aids, including public transport (65%) and insurance (61%).
However, new benefits are emerging that are of great interest to a majority of Spanish employees, who are increasingly demanding discounts on entertainment platforms such as Netflix or Spotify, as well as on clothing, technology or shows. Thus, leisure ranks fourth in the ranking of workers' priorities, especially among young people, second only to classic social benefits.
Precisely, the focus on series or music apps is especially significant among younger workers. Within the prioritisation of areas by employee segment, one in two workers under 25 consider it fundamental, a figure that rises to 66% among those over 25, but still considered early workers. Despite demands from workers, the vast majority (82%) of companies do not offer discounts of this type.
“Spaniards want to use their salary flexibly and, particularly younger workers, are demanding greater personalisation in social benefits. Entertainment and leisure platforms, and language learning are increasingly important, leading us to believe that organisations, in addition to offering support for meals and transport, which remain the most in-demand, must provide a range of more innovative products to reach employees,” points out Manuel Asla, Marketing and Product Director at Edenred Spain.
In terms of the products that employees expect to receive, these include health insurance (33%), Edenred transport tickets (aid for purchasing public transport tickets (32%)), and job-related training (23%). However, the rise in oil prices has made itself felt, as in fourth place, and not far behind third, are agreements with petrol stations (22%).
By salary ranges, one in three employees earning between €18,000 and €25,000 per year opt to receive aid for their fuel. By age ranges, young people under 25 stand out in this demand, which reaches 40%%.
According to the latest report “Employee and Business Labour Expectations 2022” by Edenred and BTS, work-life balance is playing an increasingly decisive role in employee demands, as they consider it important that social benefits favour these measures. Young people are particularly active in these demands, with gym subsidies (30%), psychological consultations (19%), and access to streaming platforms (11%) among their priorities.
On the other hand, younger employees are keen on language learning. Although only 19% of workers consider this training a priority, 80% of those under 25 demand social benefits related to knowledge of other languages.
“Netflix payments, discounts on clothing purchases, or gym memberships are some of the social benefits that many young people are demanding from Spanish companies. Personalisation is key to satisfying employees as, for this population segment, offering help with nursery fees doesn't make sense, as they don't plan on being parents in the short term,” concludes Asla.
