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Employee Interest In This One Benefit Has Shot Up 1300 Percent A study looks at the benefits employees most want in the workplace in 2022. The results are surprising.

By Jonathan Small

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What do employees most want from their employers in 2022?

To answer this question Lensa, a job search engine, looked at the number of internet searches for the top 50 employee benefits. Their findings say a lot about what employees expect in a post-pandemic world.

Trends in Employee Demands

The study found that, over the past four years, interest in Menopause Leave has increased by 1300%.

Why? More than a million menopausal women want to quit their jobs because they are not getting the support they need, according to a recent poll. And one in 10 women between the ages of 45 and 54 in the UK reportedly leave their jobs because of symptoms of menopause.

And menopause is not just taking a toll on women's mental health—it's costing companies money. Bloomberg estimates that menopause productivity losses cost companies $150 billion a year.

Some companies are embracing menopause policies. Vodafone, for example, has introduced training and awareness programs about menopause for its employees. The British multinational telecommunications company also offers women who suffer from menopause extra support around sick leave, medical treatment, and flexible working hours.

Last year, Diageo, which owns brands such as Guinness, Smirnoff, and Captain Morgan, offers menopausal employees counseling, mindfulness sessions, and increased workplace flexibility around working hours and sick leave.

Most Popular Employee Demands

The Lensa study also looked at the most popular benefit searches in the U.S.

Among the benefits searched online in 2022, "remote work" came out on top, with 487,600 searches.

"Four-day work week" was the second most search benefit, tallying over 192,000 searches.

"Employee assistance programs" came in third, which support employees through poor mental or physical health, wellbeing issues, or personal issues.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® VIP

Founder, Write About Now Media

Jonathan Small is an award-winning author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

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