Thriving at Work: People Over Perks

It’s safe to say that people leaders in virtually every organization want their employees to thrive—to feel secure, fulfilled, and hopeful about the future. It’s also a goal that many struggle to achieve. Research published in the O.C. Tanner 2025 Global Culture Report reveals that reconfiguring our approach to Total Rewards can help close important gaps for employees. And while each organizations’ offerings will look a bit different, some core elements are non negotiable.

The journey to thriving begins with surviving

Before you can hope to make any impact on helping your people thrive at work, you first need to ensure their compensation and health benefits are sufficient. Without these needs met, employees are merely working to survive. Anything beyond that is a pipe dream. Once these necessities are fulfilled, however, employees can focus on growth and development rather than simply staying afloat.

For more insights into moving past survival mode, read “Thriving at Work” in the 2025 Global Culture Report.

Beyond the basics: flexibility and growth

Once you’ve met your employees’ basic needs, you can enhance your offerings to address flexibility, skill building, and career development—three key elements shown to improve employees’ odds of thriving.

Flexibility allows employees to balance the demands of their personal and professional lives. Each employee is navigating a unique web of work deadlines, personal projects, dependent care, and health needs. When organizations offer flexible work arrangements that empower employees to manage their own time, they see higher levels of employee satisfaction and productivity.

Skill building and career development are equally important. Employees want opportunities to learn and grow within their roles, as well as sightlines into potential new assignments, projects, and promotions. Providing clear development paths and a variety of learning opportunities not only supports employees on their career journeys but also improves business performance by increasing innovation and retention.

Encourage and guide employees’ skill building and career development with Culture Cloud Initiatives, powered by O.C. Tanner.

Create (and communicate) a culture of care

Once you’ve decided to improve your flexibility, skill-building, and career development offerings, it’s important to thoughtfully integrate them into the employee experience. Unveiling a long list of benefits might feel like a grand gesture, but without the proper approach, it’s more likely to land like a messy grab bag of corporate discounts.

Tips for taking a people-centered approach to Total Rewards

Flexibility
Implement equitable policies that give people the time and space they need to attend to their personal needs and meet their work requirements. Provide enough autonomy to give your employees a sense of ownership in their work, while clearly communicating expectations.

Skill building
‍Allow employees to choose what skills they want to build and how to build them. Offer a variety of opportunities and, if possible, the time and money required to learn and practice these skills.

Career development
Ensure employees understand where your organization and industry are headed and what it will take to succeed. Outline tangible steps toward various career achievements. Our experiments indicate that clearly communicating offerings and providing organizational support for people to use them leads to significant improvements in retention, employee advocacy, and overall satisfaction. The presence of offerings alone doesn’t produce the same results.

Reinforce with recognition

Once you’ve reimagined your Total Rewards offerings and communication strategy, close the circle by recognizing employees for operating successfully within your flexible work policies, taking the initiative to develop their skills, and progressing in their careers. This reinforces company values and further demonstrates your genuine care and support for employees.

A path to fulfillment and success

Helping employees thrive at work begins with meeting their basic needs, and then requires creating a supportive, flexible, and purpose-driven environment where they can grow and succeed. Following these recommendations leads to greater mutual success, with benefits for both employees and the organization as a whole.

For more data and insights on creating a Total Rewards program that helps employees and businesses thrive, dive into our 2025 Global Culture Report.

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O.C. Tanner is the global leader in software and services that improve workplace culture through meaningful employee recognition experiences. Learn how Culture Cloud® complements a people-focused approach to Total Rewards.