- US AI firm Superhuman offers wellness stipends to boost office attendance among employees
- Wellness stipends range from $500 to $2,000 quarterly based on office attendance frequency
- Initial two-day office mandate failed due to low compliance and negative employee sentiment
Many employees now prefer a work-from-home job to avoid the hassle of going to the office. Amid a surge in demand for such jobs, many companies are offering a range of perks to increase office attendance. Among those is a US-based AI company that introduced wellness stipends and commuter benefits to lure employees back to the office, Business Insider reported. Kenny Mendes, the chief people officer of Superhuman, a company with over 1,500 employees globally, said that there has been a 57% increase in daily attendance across all of its offices.
"If you look at that as a percentage of salary relative to the impact it has on that employee - being more productive, being more engaged, solving problems faster - it's a no-brainer spend from a company standpoint," Mendes told the media outlet.
Also read | Delhi Airport Issues Advisory On Feeding Stray Dogs After Story Of 'Kaddu' Goes Viral
Up to $2,000 (approximately Rs 1.8 lakh) quarterly would be given as a wellness stipend to those who work five days a week in the office. Meanwhile, those who choose to work two days per week in the office get $500 per quarter.
As per the report, the wellness stipends can be used for things like childcare expenses, gym memberships, grocery delivery, and cleaning services.
While talking about the company's two-day return-to-office mandate for engineers last year, there was visible "negative energy and sentiment".
Also read | UK Man Jailed For Threatening Fast-Food Worker With Fake Gun Over Wrong Sauce
He said that the policy was ineffective. "It failed," Mendes said. "Six months later, we were seeing low compliance, empty offices, and team members telling us point-blank that coming in wasn't worth it because no one else was there."
Employees weren't willing to come to the office, despite living 70% of them living within commuting distance to its hubs across North America and Europe.
"You're looking around, and you're like, 'Yeah, I'm sitting next to this person. I really don't want to talk to them. I'm just trying to get out of here as quickly as possible,'" Mendes said.
To tackle the crisis, he spoke to behavioural scientist Jon Levy to seek advice. "We were pulling teeth to get people in two days a week," Mendes said. "But could we get them to choose to come in five?"
He also spoke to the employees and asked about the challenges they faced while coming to the office, which were mostly about practical barriers, such as parking costs and desk setups.
The company also offered daily lunch and social hours.
He said the aim was not about giving money, but Superhuman's approach focuses on removing friction points and creating a positive office experience. "I've been really shocked at how well it's working," he said.
