Offering employee benefits, are no longer just perks, they’re essential tools for Canadian small businesses struggling to keep their best people. In today’s tight labour market, offering competitive benefits can be the difference between losing a valuable employee and keeping them engaged for years to come. Whether you’re a business owner, HR manager, or accountant advising clients, understanding the power of offering employee benefits is critical to building a loyal, productive team.
The Problem: People Aren’t Sticking Around
Canadian small businesses are facing a quiet, but costly, retention crisis.
Whether it’s your top-performing barista, your irreplaceable office manager, or that accounting client’s bookkeeper you’ve trained for years, everyone is feeling the churn. A 2024 survey by Benefits Canada found that 71% of Canadian employees are considering switching jobs, a sharp increase that signals a deeper dissatisfaction within the workforce.
And no, it’s not just about chasing higher salaries.
In today’s post-pandemic landscape, employee expectations have fundamentally shifted. Workers are no longer content with a basic compensation package. They’re seeking more meaningful value from their employers: stability, health protection, mental wellness resources, and a sense that their work and well-being matters.
A major reason employees are walking away? A lack of competitive, personalized, or even basic employee benefits. According to a 2024 survey by Robert Walters, only 29% of employees said they were satisfied with their current benefits package.
This isn’t just a retention issue, it’s a brand issue. In a tight labour market, small businesses can’t afford to be seen as “less generous” than larger competitors, especially when it comes to benefits that directly impact quality of life. When employees feel unsupported, they disengage. And when they disengage, they leave.
The good news? This is a fixable problem. Offering employee benefits, even a modest but well-structured benefits package, can dramatically increase loyalty, improve workplace morale, and reduce costly turnover.
Why Offering Employee Benefits Is Now a Competitive Imperative
Once considered a “nice-to-have,” offering employee benefits has become a make-or-break factor in today’s job market. For Canadian small businesses, it’s no longer just about compensation, it’s about providing the kind of total rewards package that shows your team they’re valued, supported, and secure.
Gone are the days when only corporate giants could afford to offer health coverage or retirement plans. Today, many small businesses across Canada are stepping up to offer benefits not just to keep up, but to win.
And here’s why it matters:
- Job seekers are benefits-aware. A quick scroll through any job board will show you what your competitors are offering, extended health and dental, wellness stipends, mental health resources, and even savings plans. If your job postings don’t mention benefits, applicants may scroll right past.
- Retention depends on perceived value. When employees feel their employer is investing in their well-being, physically, mentally, and financially, they’re more likely to stay loyal. According to a 2024 Mercer report, 61% of Canadian employees said benefits were a key reason they stayed with their employer.
- Benefits signal professionalism. Offering employee benefits, especially when they kick in on day one, tells candidates and clients alike that your business is serious, stable, and growing. It’s a sign of maturity, even if you’re a team of 10.
- Well-designed benefits can cost less than turnover. Replacing a single employee can cost 50–200% of their salary once you factor in recruitment, training, and lost productivity. Offering benefits, even a basic group plan, can drastically reduce churn, saving you money in the long run.
In short, not offering employee benefits isn’t just a missed opportunity, it could be actively costing you your best people.
The Hidden Cost of Not Offering Employee Benefits
When small businesses skip offering employee benefits, they often focus only on the immediate cost. But the real expense shows up later, when your best people walk out the door.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), replacing a single employee can cost up to 33% of their annual salary. For a $60,000 employee, that’s nearly $20,000 per person. That figure doesn’t even account for:
- Lost productivity as positions stay open
- Training costs for new hires
- Decline in team morale
- Client relationship disruptions
If this churn becomes a pattern, it doesn’t just impact your bottom line, it can hold your entire business back. Teams become stretched, errors increase, and long-term growth suffers.
Offering employee benefits creates a compelling reason for people to stay, especially when salaries alone can’t compete with larger companies. When benefits are part of the equation, you’re not just retaining talent, you’re investing in business continuity.
Offering Employee Benefits: A Retention Strategy That Works
Offering employee benefits isn’t just a goodwill gesture, it’s a smart retention strategy with measurable ROI.
Employees who feel supported by their employer’s benefits package are more likely to stay, be more productive, and refer other talent to your business. Research from LIMRA shows that 70% of Canadian employees say benefits are a key reason they stay with their employer.
Here’s how offering employee benefits impacts your bottom line:
- Boosts loyalty: Employees are more emotionally invested in a workplace that invests in them.
- Reduces turnover: Fewer exits mean lower recruitment and training costs.
- Improves productivity: Healthier employees take fewer sick days and perform better.
- Makes hiring easier: Strong benefits help you stand out in a competitive market, especially when you can’t offer the highest salary.
- Supports company culture: Employees feel cared for, and that resonates through team dynamics and client interactions.
Source: BambooHR. “Employee Wellbeing.” https://www.bamboohr.com/pl-pages/intl-en/employee-wellbeing. Accessed August 5, 2025.
In short, offering employee benefits isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a lever for growth, stability, and reputation.
But I’m A Small Business, Can I Even Afford to Offer Employee Benefits?
Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: You probably can’t afford not to.
There’s a common misconception that offering employee benefits is only for large corporations. The truth? Many Canadian small businesses are already doing it, because they have to stay competitive.
You don’t need to match corporate perks line-for-line. A thoughtful package that includes health and dental coverage, life insurance, and wellness support can go a long way. Plans can start with as few as 2 employees and scale as your team grows.
Here’s how we make it doable:
- Quotes from top Canadian insurers like Manulife, Sun Life, Canada Life, and Empire Life
- Flexible plan options so you only pay for what you actually need
- Advisor-led support to guide you through choices, not upsell you
Offering employee benefits doesn’t mean breaking the bank, it means making smart, sustainable decisions that support your team and your future.
Real Results: How One Small Business Retained Their Dream Team by Offering Employee Benefits
After losing two key employees post-pandemic, a 25-person Vancouver tech firm found itself at a crossroads.
Turnover was rising. Morale was slipping. And like many small businesses, they couldn’t win the talent war on salary alone.
That’s when they decided to try something different, a quieter, smarter shift in how they supported their team.
What happened next left them surprised.
Read the full story to find out how a simple benefits strategy changed their business and helped make the unthinkable be possible.
Why Smart Compensation Isn’t Just About Salary (It’s About Benefits)
When we talk about compensation, most people think dollars and cents. But there’s a smarter, more strategic way to reward your team, one that supports their family, helps your business grow, and reduces your tax burden while you’re at it.
1. Benefits Add Real Value Without Increasing Taxable Income
Let’s say you give an employee a $5,000 salary bump. Sounds generous, right? But once taxes kick in, they’re pocketing far less. Now imagine instead offering $5,000 worth of extended health, dental, and vision coverage, tax-free compensation that feels just as valuable (and often more appreciated). It’s a win-win.
2. Protection Beyond the Employee
A well-structured benefits package offers security not just to your team members, but to their families. Life insurance, disability coverage, and health support services reduce stress at home and loyalty at work follows.
3. Business Growth Starts with Retention
Scaling a business isn’t just about hiring more people, it’s about keeping the right ones. Strong benefits improve retention, lower turnover costs, and create a stable foundation for long-term growth. When your people stay, your company compounds its success.
4. Benefits for Owners: Protect Your Legacy
Business owners can also include permanent life insurance (such as whole life or universal life) in their benefits strategy. These policies offer dual protection: they safeguard your family and business, and they can be used as financial tools for tax-efficient wealth transfer or even collateral for business loans.
5. Yes, There Are Tax Advantages
Many employee benefits, including health and dental premiums are tax-deductible as a business expense and non-taxable for employees, making them one of the most efficient ways to boost total compensation. That’s money better spent, for both sides.
Offering Employee Benefits Without the Admin Headaches
One of the most common hesitations we hear from small business owners:
“It just seems like too much paperwork”
We hear you. That’s why our approach to offering employee benefits is built for ease, automation, and expert support.
Here’s what you get:
- Payroll integration: Sync benefits directly with our payroll system for automatic deductions and CRA-compliant remittances.
- Dedicated support team: No call centers. You’ll speak with real people who know your business.
- Custom plan management: Add or remove employees with just a few clicks.
- One-signature switching: Already working with a broker? Switching is simpler than you think, no messy handovers or admin purgatory.
By streamlining the setup and day-to-day management, we make it simple to offer employee benefits, without adding to your already full plate.
See how our advisor-led benefits service makes it simple to get started.
The Bottom Line: Benefits Are More Than a Perk, They’re a Growth Strategy
In today’s job market, offering employee benefits isn’t just about being generous. It’s about staying competitive, keeping your best people, and building a business that lasts. Whether you’re a team of 2 or 200, benefits add lasting value to your compensation package, without adding unmanageable costs or admin headaches.
From protecting your team and their families to securing your company’s future with tax-smart strategies, a great benefits plan does more than retain staff, it helps your business grow.
Ready to Keep Your Best People Around for the Long Haul?
We’ll help you build a flexible, affordable benefits package that fits your team, your budget, and your goals, no call centers, no confusing forms, and no stress.
Get a Tailored Employee Benefits Consultation – On Us
