2. FRINGE BENEFITS
Are extra benefits provided to workers other
than usual compensation in form of salary
Referred to as ‘fringe benefits’ because years
ago they were small, relatively inconspicuous
Purpose - retain employee in organization on
long term basis.
Differ from incentive plans since benefits &
services not contingent on performance of
individual, team or organization
Accrue to all employees by virtue of their
membership in organisation
Organization should make employees abreast
of fringe benefit programmes to motivate them
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& improve status of their organization.
Are of two types: Mandatory & Voluntary
3. FRINGE BENEFITS
Rapid industrialization, heavy urbanization &
growth of capitalistic economy made it difficult for
employees to protect themselves against adverse
impact of these developments
Labour scarcity & competition for qualified
personnel led to evolution & implementation of no.
of compensation plans
Realisation on part of management wrt its
responsibility towards employees that
benefits of productivity increase resulting from increasing
industrialization should go, at least partly, to employees
responsible for it,
they be protected against insecurity arising from
unemployment, sickness, injury & old age.
Labour legislation on social security, made it
imperative for employers to share with employees
cost of old age, survivor & disability benefits
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Hence the importance of fringe benefits
4. FRINGE BENEFITS
Influence of other factors on ‘Fringe Benefits’
Rising prices & cost of living brought about incessant
demand for provision of extra benefits to employees
Employers found fringe benefits attractive areas of
negotiation when wage & salary increases not feasible
Greater pressure placed upon competing organizations to
match these benefits to attract & retain employees
Fringe benefits - non-taxable rewards; major stimulus to
their expansion
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5. FRINGE BENEFITS
Coverage of Benefits
Benefits consist of items/ awards supplementary to
normal pay.
Some –pensions & sick pay - are essential
entitlements, common term ‘fringe benefits’ is
perhaps misleading.
Benefits such as cars, medical insurance & ‘perks’,
are in nature of optional extras & recruitment
retention & incentives strategies of organization
Entitlements include the following:
Pension Provisions
› regarded as most important benefit after basic pay
› kind of deferred pay, building up rights to guaranteed income on
retirement (or to dependants, on death)
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› financed by contributions from company with facilities for
contribution by employees as well.
6. FRINGE BENEFITS
Sick Pay
› Sickness or enforced absence from work haunt workers with
prospect of lost earnings; provision for genuine sufferers.
› Many employers supplement benefit by additional sick pay
schemes
Medical Benefits
› Say private medical and/or dental insurance. Some
medical services may also be provided at workplace: for
example eye & hearing tests (where relevant to the
industrial context).
Maternity Leave & Maternity Pay
Holidays
› Benefit, taken for granted
› Employees who have been continuously employed for 26
weeks entitled to 15 days’ leave per annum, rising to 20 days
for leave
› No statutory right to ‘customary’ holidays (public holidays,
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Christmas etc) ; may be granted by contract terms.
› Additional holiday entitlements regarded as fringe benefit,
including sabbaticals & long-service leaves.
7. FRINGE BENEFITS
Otherbenefits include the following:
Company Cars
› highly-regarded benefit in India/ UK, especially
among managerial staff, status symbol, and for
those whose work requires extensive travel (eg.
sales & service staff).
Transport Assistance
› Examples include loans for purchase of annual
season tickets, or bulk buying of tickets by
employers for distribution to staff.
Housing assistance, in the form of
› Allowances to staff transferred or relocated –
lodging, and so on, or 7
› assistance for house purchase – bridging loan,
preferential mortgage terms.
8. FRINGE BENEFITS
Catering Services
› Most commonly, subsidized food or luncheon vouchers.
Recreational Facilities
› Subsidy & membership of social & sports clubs or provision of
facilities such as a gymnasium or bar.
Allowances for
› Telephone costs
› Professional subscriptions or work related reading matter.
› Discounts or preferential terms on the organization’s own
products services.
EG: Bank employees receive mortgage subsidy-discounts on
unit trusts or insurance products; bonus interest on
accounts or savings plans; or reduced interest rates on
overdrafts & loans.
Educational Programmes
› In-house study opportunities, or sponsorship of external study
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(not necessarily work-related).
9. FRINGE BENEFITS
Family-friendly Policies
› Workplace nurseries, term-time hours contracts, career break
schemes.
Severance Pay
› Provides a one-time payment when an employee is terminated.
Done on humanitarian ground.
Insurance:
› May be life, health & accident. May be for individual or group
Disablement benefit
› Insured employees, disabled temporarily or permanently due
to employment injury, occupational diseases, or both entitled
to cash benefit
Dependent’s benefit
› If insured person dies as a result of employment injury, his
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dependents are entitled to compensation under the Act
10. FRINGE BENEFITS
Other Fringe Benefits
› Entertainment benefit by way of food, drink or
recreation
› If an employee owes debt to the organisation, it may
release employee from obligation to pay
› Provision of personal attendants- sweeper, gardener
& watchman
› Increasingly common for employees & their families
to be provided with vacation & holiday facilities
› Customary in India to provide gifts directly or
indirectly in the form of vouchers or tokens to
employees on social, festival & religious occasions
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11. EXAMPLES OF FRINGE BENEFITS
Educational
Motorola India offers educational assistance to
employee’s spouses for getting a suitable job abroad
when employee is given international assignment
NIIT gives employees paid sabbaticals for 6 months
every 5 years
HLL offers career break to employees wishing to study
Family
Motorola India provides childcare centres to working
mothers & flexible working hours to certain employees
NIIT offers wedding anniversary allowance
LG has initiative called ‘Joyful Working Team’ where
employees &families taken for lunch or sporting
activities like rafting. ‘Happy Moments Board’ to share
positive happenings in members’ lives
Infosys allows employees leave without pay for a year to
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allow them to join their partners abroad