Ultimate guide to employee benefits

This eBook explores a range of popular and emerging employee benefits. Discover the perks with the potential to attract attention and increase loyalty – ensuring the future success of your business.

2 mins read
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​Ideas about employee benefits are changing. Gone are the days of a free eye test and 20 days’ annual leave cutting any ice. A new generation is demanding more – and getting it – from fertility benefits to performance bonuses, and long-service rewards in the shape of cars and luxury holidays.

Our ultimate guide to employee benefits illustrates the latest popular and emerging benefits around the world. Download your free copy today for ideas that will benefit your workforce.

While not every business may be prepared to offer high-end perks, those that can are seeing the pay-off in employee retention and attraction.

At the end of 2022, Reed carried out a survey of 5,000 professionals, asking for their thoughts on work, from salary to job security, and the all-important benefits in between.

Shockingly, the survey revealed a huge number, 28%, said they do not receive any organisational benefits at all. Flexi working was the most common perk received, as indicated by 23% of workers, among a list that included life insurance, performance bonus, and the ability to purchase additional annual leave. Second and third most commonly-received benefits were financial: annual salary increments (19%) and a company pension higher than the required amount (18%).

In comparison to the perks those respondents said they wanted in these testing economic times, financial benefits ranked unsurprisingly highly – with 43% placing it top of the wishlist. However, flexi working and a four-day week tied in second place with 36% finding them desirable, indicating the importance for employers to take a more relaxed approach to physical workplaces and hours. With millions of desk-based roles successfully undertaken remotely throughout the pandemic, a demand for a full return to the office can be off-putting to jobseekers anticipating greater flexibility in their working day.

It’s wise to research what your existing workforce most values before grabbing the coattails of any passing trend that could end up unaffordable and underused. Run regular employee surveys to find out their concerns and desires, and as a way of improving employee engagement. When you understand what motivates your workforce, you’ll be in a stronger position to help them, attract new workers and keep them.  

By downloading this eBook, you will discover our pick of benefits that most inspire the workforce, with expert insight and tips.

Content includes: 

  • Employee recognition programmes  

  • Health and wellbeing  

  • Staff discounts  

  • Career and life coaching  

  • Learning and development  

  • Pensions  

Get your free ‘Ultimate guide to employee benefits’ today.

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Scientific CV Template
3 mins read
  1. Article

Scientific CV Template

​If you are looking for your next position in the science industry, it is important to optimise and tailor your CV to give yourself the best possible chance of securing your dream role.

Build the perfect scientific CV with our free template below:

[Full Name]
[Home Address]
[Contact Number] • [Email Address]

Personal Statement

This section is your chance to summarise the rest of the CV, and convince the recruiter to get in touch. It is important to keep it brief, between 50-200 words and outline; who you are, any specific skills you have to offer (including ‘soft skills’) and your career aim.

Depending on the role, the key ‘soft skills’ employers are likely to look for include: communication, decision making, leadership skills, problem solving and being a team player. Be sure to reference your ability in these areas wherever possible in your CV.

I have gained valuable experience in [area of expertise] at [organisation name] and have a particular wealth of experience and skills in [specific area]. I graduated in [year] from [university name] with a [degree class] degree in [subject], and am now an [industry] professional.

My important achievements include working alongside the [team name] team at [organisation], and contributing to projects such as [project name]. I was responsible for/organised [task] and increased/decreased [profit/other metric] by [£X/X%].

I am looking for my next opportunity within an [business type/industry] organisation, where I can bring real value and develop my [scientific/research] skills further.


Education

This is your chance to talk about your qualifications, academic and vocational. This is a particularly important section for those with no relevant work experience. You should give detail about what you studied, where and when, and list them in chronological order. If you have many of one qualification, such as GCSEs you might find it useful to group them together.

  • [University Name]

  • [Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

Degree subject and class achieved (list Masters/PhD first)

  • Modules studied

  • Skills used

  • Dissertation brief

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

A-levels:

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

GCSEs:

  • [Number] GCSEs, grades [range], including Maths and English

Skills

This section is useful to clearly outline the laboratory/scientific skills you’ve gained at university or in industry. Include even minor relevant skills to increase your chances of being discovered in a CV database search.

Work experience
This should be brief and, as a general rule of thumb, focus on the last five years of your career, or last three roles, in chronological order with most recent at the top.

If you are a recent graduate then work experience should be listed before your degree details - if the work undertaken was relevant. If it was not relevant to your industry then list detailed degree/dissertation information first.

You should highlight your key achievements and use bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions.

[Job Title], [Company Name] [Location]
[Date M/Y- Date M/Y]

Achievements and responsibilities:

  • Brief role overview

  • Worked alongside [team] to produce [project]

  • Implemented [change] which resulted in [benefit]

  • Received an [award name] for [reason]


Hobbies and Interests

This section is not essential to include, but you may wish to depending on the role you are applying for. It can be a useful chance to show a little more of your personality. However, be warned this can be very subjective, ensure anything listed here reinforces your application and the idea that you’ll be the right fit for the role. If you don’t have any real relatable hobbies, it is probably best to omit this section.

I organise a weekly [sport] game, manage bookings, transport and help to coach the team.

Undertook a [course] in order to improve my [skill].


References

References are available upon request.

Download our full scientific CV template.

Coaching for intersectional inclusion
9 mins read
  1. Article

Coaching for intersectional inclusion

​Everyone has multiple layers to their identity, and no one is one label. There are other aspects of their identities to consider, and no one should be put in a box. Many businesses, which celebrate Pride Month, for example, are perceived as not doing enough for people who are underrepresented in more than one way.

Recent research by Culture Amp in ‘The Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Report 2024’ found disabled women and black women are more doubtful of their employers’ equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B) efforts than any other group.

This is likely because women might feel their entire identity and additional barriers aren’t being considered, if they are part of more than one underrepresented group. Some employers’ initiatives provide a base-level overview of inclusion for women, but they might only explore the perspectives of white women, for example, or women in general, with no specific solutions explored for LGBTQ+, disabled or black women, for instance. Each may have very different experiences of what it means to be a woman.

Coaching people within your organisation can help leaders and employees gain a deeper understanding of intersectionality and why it’s important. We interviewed Mary-Clare Race, CEO of Talking Talent, for her insight and best-practice tips on all things coaching and inclusion.

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Q: What's the difference between coaching, mentoring, and other types of training, especially when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging?

A: These terms are often used interchangeably in the world of talent development, but we see a clear distinction between them that is especially important when it comes to EDI&B.

In a training situation, the primary goal is typically to transfer knowledge from the facilitator to the participant, to raise their awareness and understanding of a particular topic or skill and provide them with practical tips on how to put that skill into action for themselves.

In a mentoring situation, there is also an element of knowledge transfer, but in a more personalised, relationship based, one-to-one situation where the mentee is paired up with a more experienced mentor who is there to provide them with support, advice and guidance.

Coaching takes the relationship-based approach one step further and focuses on supporting and facilitating the coachee to actively step in and facilitate their own outcomes. It is not about giving them the answer but rather supporting them to find their own answer, their own way forward.

At Talking Talent, we favour a coaching-led approach because it enables a deeper level of behavioural change. The coachee must be actively engaged and motivated to do the inner work on themselves and the coach is there to hold them to account. However, there is a role for all three approaches when it comes to solving EDI&B challenges and real power in combining all three.

Q: How can coaching help businesses become more inclusive and diverse?

A: If you look at what it takes to really move an organisation forward with their EDI&B strategy, we believe you've got to take a systemic approach and build inclusion into your culture and in how people behave every day.

There are several ways coaching can help with this:

Leadership behaviours: by working with a coach, leaders become more aware of their own biases, preferences and how their own identity shapes how they show up as a leader. The coach can help them develop the skills needed to foster a culture of inclusion and hold