The first thing an employer offers an employee is a salary. But nowadays the social package is also becoming relevant. In many job advertisements you will see mention of fringe benefits.
Social package: what is it?
This concept is not regulated by the state, despite its popularity and demand. However, it is very relevant both among applicants for prestigious positions and among employers. Having a social package provides unconditional advantages when taking up a position.
The concept of social guarantees and social package should not be confused. An employer at any level is obliged to provide its employees with guarantees approved by federal law.
Social package as a way of motivation
The list of benefits often becomes a reflection of the distribution of power within business units. With its help, the status of the employee is emphasized, so this concept is increasingly gaining weight and significance.
When forming a package, options are allowed, but its unifying feature at any enterprise has become the payment by the employer of the proposed additional benefits.
For example, often a social package includes medical care or vacation in a specialized sanatorium. Some employers limit themselves to providing mobile phone or assistance in renting temporary housing.
Benefits sometimes include memberships to a swimming pool or fitness center. And even one that has been known since Soviet times is also part of the social package. The priority component in any version of privileges is payment of transportation costs.
If an employer guarantees employees health insurance, then he has a better chance of getting qualified specialists and retaining them in his production.
The social package is the best way staff motivation and a way to attract valuable employees.
At the same time, it cannot be said that the presence or absence of social rewards is the main criterion when choosing a job. IN recruitment agencies Cases of refusal of a position due to lack of a social package are rare. This is rather a good bonus and an additional incentive when making a decision.
How the social package is formed
Most companies have a heterogeneous list of benefits.
Modern employers practice three ways of forming it:
The social package contains a psychological factor. It works for team cohesion and the formation of a corporate culture.
The social package is beneficial to both employees and employers. For management, this is a good chance to retain valuable employees no salary increases. For employees, this is significant support from the employer.
Full benefits package: what does it include?
So, this term is absent in labor legislation. But the legislation provides for the obligation of any employer to provide each member of the team with social protection.
Providing basic guarantees is not a “favor” of the employer. By providing staff with annual leave or providing unscheduled time off due to a wedding, the employer is not expressing any special favor towards the employee, but is fulfilling his direct responsibilities. The same applies to the preparation of a package of documents on labor protection, payment of sick leave or referral for a medical examination.
The full social package includes rights guaranteed by law and additional social benefits from the employer. However, the list of additional benefits is regulated by the employer.
It is important that this nuance is emphasized in the employment contract. When applying for a job, additional preferences in the form of a full (extended) social package are offered reputable companies. Moreover, the employer retains the right to vary it for different positions.
Those who are faced with the need to look for work are well aware of the word “social package”, which employers generously supply to the proposed vacancies. Moreover, adjectives are usually attached to the noun “social package” almost in superlatives: generous, rich, full, respectable and so on.
So what meaning do employers put into the concept of “social package”, and what does it actually mean? About half of the proposed “social packages” are not such. Employers list compulsory health insurance, sick leave payments, maternity leave, annual leave, contributions to pension fund. This is what every employee is entitled to in accordance with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation, which only means that this company does not violate the laws.
About a third of employers promise to pay expenses for personal transport, mobile communications, and vocational training. But these are also not benefits, but only compensation for personal funds spent by employees, which they will spend on the needs of the company. Even if you somehow save the gas you paid for or use corporate phones for personal needs, this will not bring you tangible savings, especially since companies usually do not fork out for too large payments.
So what exactly is included in such a tempting “social package”? Only a small part, approximately 15% of employers, offer some additional benefits as a supplement to wages and to what employees are entitled to by law. This includes free food, voluntary medical insurance (sometimes even including dental care), a company car, gym and swimming pool memberships, housing loans, payment for tourist or sanatorium vouchers, etc. Such components of the “social package” depend on the desires and capabilities of a particular company , and therefore may change. With these additional benefits, employers are trying to attract the workers they need, which is why the “social package” itself is also called competitive.
What is more attractive to you – a high salary or compensation for it with some of the benefits listed above, is up to you to decide. Although it is obvious that money itself gives you the opportunity to choose, and you may not have to take advantage of the benefits of the “social package”. But, nevertheless, when going through a job interview, you should inquire about the content of the proposed “social package”, and only then make a decision.
True, it is best to ask this question when you have already realized that the company is interested in you and is ready to make concessions. It is also useful to know what benefits companies usually provide, depending on the position offered.
Thus, the “social package” for senior managers includes a representative car, a corporate car with a driver, voluntary medical insurance (full package of family insurance), dental insurance, an additional pension from the company, an apartment (payment of housing for nonresidents), vacation vouchers for whole family, mortgage loan.
For mid-level employees, the “social package” includes the following benefits: voluntary medical insurance (partial payment), travel vouchers, payment for a fitness center, mobile communications, gasoline, meals in the office or cafe, interest-free loan or credit, partial mortgage loan.
And ordinary employees are offered payment for travel, meals at work, special clothing, partial payment for mobile communications, as well as payments in emergency situations: the death of relatives or a wedding.
Social package is a concept that has come into use Russian citizen relatively recently. Employers understand and interpret it differently. According to lawyers, the social package should include only those benefits that are not provided for by Labor legislation. Therefore, if the employer promises paid sick leave and annual leave, then calling this a full social package provided by the employer is incorrect. This is just a standard social package guaranteed to a person by the state.
Thus, the social package of an employee of a company or enterprise includes additional benefits that the employer is ready to provide “out of his own pocket.” It may include vocational training or advanced training at the expense of the employer, free food and travel, housing, voluntary health insurance, payment for transport and mobile communications. Often, the social package includes free health improvement, that is, sanatorium-resort treatment at the expense of the enterprise. Thus, the contents of the social package may vary in accordance with the wishes of a particular employer.
It is interesting that at some enterprises managers practice providing a social package depending on the position held, length of service, and rating of the employee. The higher the employee climbed career ladder, the more complete his social package. However, this approach to the distribution of social benefits may cause discontent among ordinary workers, which can lead to unrest at the enterprise.
It is worth noting that the practice of providing additional social benefits to Russian citizens is still in its infancy. Only 67% of the working population today, when applying for a job, are asked to explain what is included in their social package. Others simply don't think about it.
Today, the presence of a social package for an employee is an indicator of the solidity and authority of the company in which he works. The concept of a social package refers to the corporate ethics of an enterprise. Otherwise it is called competitive, because when equal conditions and wages, an applicant for a certain position will choose a place where he will be offered more social privileges.
Upon signing employment contract It is important to pay attention to the points regarding the content of the social package and its availability in principle. Don’t be shy about demanding that special information be included in the document. important points social security, because otherwise the employee will have to rely only on the employer’s word of honor, and if the agreements are not fulfilled, he will not be able to enforce the guarantees.
What is included in the full benefits package when applying for a job?
The full social package is:
- official employment, where work experience will be taken into account in the future (when calculating a pension)
- paid sick leave
- paid vacation once a year (at least 30 days)
- payment for maternity leave for women and monthly payments for child care up to 1.5 years
- insurance payment in case of injury at work
- monthly contributions to the pension fund.
To everyone who gets a job new job, offer social package. But both job seekers and employers put the wrong meaning into this concept. Typically, a social package means official employment, paid sick leave, monthly wages. But all these are worker rights that must be fulfilled in any case.
A social package- these are some additional bonuses that an employer can provide to an employee. They happen compensatory when an employee, for example, is paid for the use of a personal car for business purposes: depreciation and fuel consumption are compensated.
AND motivational:
Thus, full social package implies a full range of various bonuses designed to motivate the employee’s activities.
More details about social package can be found here.
Social package- this is a set of benefits and compensations that your employer provides you at will. The social package may include the following benefits:
payment for maternity leave and maternity leave until the child reaches 1.5 years of age,
sick leave payment,
payment for travel to and from work,
vouchers to camps and sanatoriums,
payment for food,
pension insurance,
provision of interest-free loans,
payment utilities and others.
A reliable, responsible employer necessarily guarantees a full social package of guarantees to an applicant for a position in his company. This usually means paying an annual fee. vacations And sick leave leaf. The employer may not provide other extensions of the social package (bonuses, trips to a sanatorium, payment for meals, etc.), so it’s better to check with him what he means.
the fact is that the law Russian Federation There is no such concept as a complete social package. Every employer can tell you that when applying for a job there is a full social package, but you can put whatever you want into this concept. so here it is. The concept of social package is usually understood as hiring and execution of an employment contract. Of course there may be additional options. Therefore, you must immediately clarify with the employer what kind of full social package this is.
A full social package usually includes:
Additional health insurance,
Corporate events,
Payment for the gym
Providing free food,
Vouchers to sanatoriums,
Providing loans on preferential terms,
A system of bonuses and gifts for employees.
Social guarantees may vary from organization to organization.
Typically, a complete benefits package for any job consists of the following items:
Payment for travel to and from work.
Vouchers to sanatoriums and various houses rest.
Payment for daily food at production.
Payment of maternity leave until the child is one and a half years old.
Of course, this includes sick pay.
And in some cases, payment of utilities.
The social package includes the most important thing: sick leave and, for women, payment while maintaining a job and maternity leave.
paid vacation once a year (or cut it in two halves)
medical care (medical examination, vaccinations, treatment and provision of vouchers for treatment)
insurance payment for injuries at the enterprise
entry to work book, contributions to the pension fund
well, the rest is specified in the collective agreement, something may be additional
In general, the concept of a full social package is not enshrined in law.
They also often say - a standard social package. What does this mean?
According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, every employee has the rights specified in the code. For him, deductions must be made to the Social Insurance Fund, the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the medical insurance fund, he has the right to sick pay, Women - to maternity leave. Employees also have the right to annual paid leave and can count on parental leave for up to 3 years. The employer must calculate pension contributions on the employee's salary and transfer them, which guarantees that the employee will receive a pension in the future.
In general, when they talk about a full or standard package, they usually mean official employment, with the conclusion of an employment contract. You should know that this is a legal norm for all employers without exception.
But in addition to the mandatory standard package, there may also be some additional pleasant options. For example, a voluntary policy health insurance, which also provides an expanded list of services, for example, dental treatment in a good clinic. Or even the services of a chiropractor paid for by the company. Many wealthy enterprises even equip their own gyms near their production facilities, office premises, where workers can work out for free. Or even free trips. Free travel to your place of work. Material assistance. Interest-free loans to employees. Free food.
But still, the list of additional options varies from company to company. Somewhere the workers are enjoying at least some additional opportunity, and some employee in demand due to high qualifications will choose an enterprise with the widest possible list of additional benefits.
A full social package assumes that the employer will honestly fulfill its obligations to you and the state: pay taxes and transfer 1% to the pension fund, pay sick leave and provide you with paid leave. In addition, he can pay for your travel to your place of work and give you unpaid leave in accordance with labor laws. But it may not do this if it is not included in the charter.
Many people looking for work are attracted to vacancies with a guaranteed benefits package. What features are included in this concept? What can an employee applying for a profession with a full benefits package expect?
To study this issue in detail, you need to pay attention to the following subtleties of the relationship between the employee and the employer:
- The law defines the employer's obligations to his subordinates (specified in the Labor Code and other legal documents);
- The traditional system for Russia of providing employees with certain concessions and assistance.
The higher the position, the more privileges
Oddly enough, the concept of “social package” does not appear in the main legal act regulating labor relations, — Labor Code. This term is not documented, but still certain provisions document can be considered as information requiring the employer's attention.
It is worth dwelling on Articles 164 and 165, which talk about “guarantees” and “”, promised to the employee. The Labor Complex outlines the situations in which these preferences apply.
Guarantees denote the means, methods and ways of ensuring human rights in the sphere of social and labor relations. Compensation is considered to be payments through which an employee is reimbursed for expenses associated with the person’s performance of certain tasks.
Important guarantees relate to popular procedures for hiring and transferring to another position. There are preferences promised at the state level in the following cases:
- The employee is forced to go on a business trip.
- The geography of work is becoming different.
- The employee is forced to perform operations of a state and social nature.
- The employee combines work and study.
- The employee must stop carrying out activities not on his own initiative.
- The man leaves.
- The contract is terminated due to certain circumstances.
- The employer is irresponsible in his duties and does not issue in a timely manner.
Legitimate side
Each organization has its own reward system
The law provides for other situations in which the hiring company must fulfill certain obligations to the employee. These obligations are fulfilled at the expense of the employer.
In exceptional cases, when operations of state or social purposes are carried out, compensation may be made at the expense of institutions.
The employer's main responsibilities regarding compensation and guarantees are recorded in the contract; they can be reflected in the contract. But this information more often reflects the initiative of the employer, rather than the letter of the law. Despite the personal initiative of the employer, the obligations stated in the contract are binding.
The listed guarantees and compensations constitute a social package that is actively promoted by employers and attractive to employees. The employer is assigned the role of a responsible executor. The social package cannot be provided partially. All companies offering different forms of employment and remuneration schemes must comply with legal obligations.
The competitiveness of enterprises is influenced by the level of qualifications of workers. A skilled specialist is welcome in any company. They value him and try to provide such an employee with a decent salary, which will not make him think about changing jobs. Programs that create social guarantees are actively working.
Many bonuses are not specified in the Labor Code, but this measure of incentives is quickly becoming traditional not only for highly qualified specialists, but also for other workers in a certain industry.
If a company neglects the customer reward system, it becomes unattractive to job seekers and occupies lower positions in the labor market. Many specialists will prefer a company that cares about the lives of its employees. Bonuses and loyalty programs are factors that speak in favor of the company.
Privileges provided by a full social package
A full social package is good conditions for employees
What compensation and employee support measures are popular in Russia and valued by employees of many companies? We can talk about the following privileges:
- Free food;
- Providing employees with unlimited cellular communications;
- Providing employees with fitness memberships;
- Reimbursement of expenses during flights and travel during vacation;
- Providing the opportunity to visit some commercial medical institutions for free.
The social package for managers can be equipped with the following privileges:
- Availability of a car and personal driver;
- from the company;
- Solving the housing issue;
Mid-level employees can apply for:
- Free access to fitness centers;
- Free food;
- Payment for gasoline;
- Opportunity to receive an interest-free loan.
Ordinary employees can count on:
- Nutrition;
- Travel payment;
- Working clothes;
- Financial compensation in certain situations.
Not all possible support measures are listed here: in many companies, the social package has been expanded with other interesting and important offers that make the lives of employees easier. In some firms, financial support extends to family members; V in this case summer holidays are available.
Along with paying for classes physical exercise Attendance at competitions may be offered. In some companies, fans have the opportunity to attend the football championship.
The social package is a manifestation of care for employees!
The definition of “full social package” may include a list of compensation and privileges determined different standards. On the one hand, the content of the social package may be determined by the information contained in acts of federal significance.
On the other hand, the features of the social package may depend on the management of a particular company seeking to attract qualified personnel. Russian legislation is not indifferent to the fate of people joining.
The Labor Code lists the obligations that an employer has to its subordinates. They must be complied with without fail. Some companies independently initiate incentive programs and new obligations that encourage employees to perform well. Many obligations included in the social package greatly facilitate the life of employees, making it more varied and richer.
Therefore, when applying for a job, it would be a good idea to inquire about the capacity of the social package in a particular company and the number of privileges granted to employees in the position that attracts you. After all, you may have to use them and receive support from the company financially or in other ways.
But you will learn how to get an individual entrepreneur’s social package from the thematic video:
