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David Did It! – “You Can’t Use What You Forgot You Had!”

Why Reminding Your Team About Benefits Matters More Than You Think

So, I was chatting with the team this morning, plotting our next Team Day (because let’s face it, remote life is great until you miss gossiping over who microwaved fish in the office). We started sharing stories about the wildest workplace “benefits” we’ve seen clients brag about.

One of my personal faves?
A pension.
Babes… that’s legally required. That’s not a perk, that’s HR 101.

But that conversation took a turn when I reminded the team they have an extra Flex Day each quarter.
Cue the silence.
Both of them completely forgot it was even a thing.

Why Benefits Get Forgotten

We spend hours crafting these shiny benefit packages for our teams but what’s the point if nobody knows they exist? A forgotten benefit is like a bottle of fancy wine hidden in the back of the cupboard: full of potential, but doing nothing. (wouldn’t know what that is like in my house though the Savvy B never gets forgotten!)

I don’t blame them, by the way. Life’s busy, recruitment’s demanding, and unless you’re being repeatedly reminded of your perks, you’re not likely to use them.

This sparked the idea for this blog and a quick update to our intranet to make sure all benefits are front and centre.

The “Unlimited Holiday” Trap

This also reminded me of a LinkedIn post I saw recently where a company scrapped their unlimited holiday policy and set a fixed number of days instead. Why?

Because no one knew what “unlimited” actually meant.
People were scared to take too much, unsure what was “normal,” and ended up taking less holiday overall.

And that, my friends, is how well-meaning perks can backfire.

The Power of Reminders

We created quarterly Flex Days for our team at Hawthorne-Finch because we know recruitment is mentally and emotionally full-on. A cheeky extra day off every few months doesn’t break the bank, but it does show we care not just in words, but in actual time.

But even the best benefits can get lost in the noise unless we shout about them.

So we’ve:

✔️ Added a full breakdown of our perks to our team intranet
✔️ Popped calendar reminders in for Flex Day cut-offs
✔️ Talked about it in our daily huddles because yes, we love a bit of structured gossip

Here’s What I’ve Learned

If you’re a manager or business owner:

  • Don’t assume your team remembers everything.
  • Talk about your benefits often.
  • Make them easy to access.
  • Show that you value wellbeing in practice, not just policy.

And if you’re an employee:

  • Check your handbook. Check your intranet.
    You might just find a hidden gem of a benefit waiting to be used!

Final Thought

Great culture isn’t built by flashy benefits, it’s built by how you live those benefits.

So whether it’s a Flex Day, a four-day week trial, or just not calling your team at 8pm, the small things make a massive difference. But only if your team knows they exist.

Go on, remind your people they’ve earned it.
And maybe delete “free tea and coffee” from your benefits list while you’re at it. It’s 2025. We’ve moved on.