Bonuses are not as important to technology professionals as other benefits like training, career development, and flexible working arrangements. Only 5% of respondents considered bonuses one of the most important benefits, while 20% prioritized skills growth opportunities. Soft benefits like learning and development programs that allow employees to grow their skills were viewed as more valuable than traditional perks like healthcare and pensions. To attract talent, companies should tailor their benefits packages to individual employee needs and preferences, offer flexible working arrangements, and promote a culture of continuous learning.

1. Are Your Perks
Competitive for
Technology
Professionals?
A comprehensive look at the value
of bonuses and benefits, as measured
by technology professionals.
talentpoint.co

2. Introduction
High salaries, bonuses, benefits, and perks: a career in IT is
renowned for being well-remunerated, and employers have
gradually been required to offer larger and more
comprehensive benefits packages, vying for attention with
‘dream job’ technology companies that have become known for
their employee perks.
But how important are these metaphorical carrots really, when it
comes to attracting and retaining the best technology talent?
talentpoint.co

3. In a two-part study focusing firstly on bonus structures and
subsequently on broader benefits packages, we surveyed 3,128
technology professionals across a wide spectrum of position-types.
The answers may surprise you.
In a nutshell:
Bonuses are bust, and soft benefits like training and career
development trump traditional perks like healthcare and pension.
talentpoint.co

4. When asked, a whopping 81% of technology professionals stated
that bonus structures were either not a deciding factor or were
considered far less important than other benefits. Most did
consider bonuses a perk, just a less desirable one than other forms
of financial reward. This is particularly the case if the bonus is
either small or, interestingly, performance-based.
Are bonus structures a deciding
factor when considering a role?
“I prefer shares to
monetary bonuses.”
– QA Lead
“Bonuses aren't that important. Things like
pension/private medical etc. are more
important than extra added sums.”
– Scrum Master
talentpoint.co

5. Many people considered bonuses an extension of their salaries. In fact,
there was a strong undertone to conversations that bonuses
were in reality part of base salary rather than a supplementary benefit.
Where the base salary was low, some respondents stated that they
would consider bonuses worthwhile if they can help to make up the
difference in monetary expectations.
Nonetheless, 30% of people surveyed stated explicitly that base salary
was a higher priority. Of these, 15% (so 4% of the total) would consider
a bonus a deciding factor, but still only secondary to a high base salary.
talentpoint.co

6. Bonuses are often introduced as a method of incentivising employees.
While there were some professionals that admitted that a bonus
structure would likely make them work harder, one respondent* cited
that it was the motivational effect that bonuses had on their team
members that made bonuses worthwhile in her opinion.
“When I worked permanent roles in the
past, I used the bonus to help increase
overall package if the company cannot
offer a high enough base salary.”
– Java Developer
“I had a bonus in my last role
but accepted my current
position with no bonus as the
base was slightly higher.”
– Senior .NET Engineer
* As only one respondent explicitly mentioned this, we did not consider it a key finding, but it
certainly suggests that bonus structures appeal to a specific mentality or psychology, and
thus could be utilised to direct team structure or values.
talentpoint.co

7. All of the above being said, those that did attribute importance to
bonuses did so decidedly.
3% said that they expected it as part and parcel of a role and
would question the company or job if bonuses were not offered.
“The bonus has to be there. It
can be shares/cash/holidays, but
there has to be something to
keep employees motivated,
otherwise I would question the
role/company.”
– Java Developer
“A bonus is important. I've always had
one in previous roles and it's definitely
something I always look for, although
wouldn't mind forfeiting it if the base is a
lot higher. I believe that bonuses motivate
people to go the extra mile in their roles.”
– Senior .NET Engineer
talentpoint.co

8. So, if it’s not monetary
bonuses, then what is
the most important part
of a benefits package?
talentpoint.co

9. 20% of applicants surveyed prioritise Skills Growth, i.e. training budgets, detailed
career paths, conference attendance, L&D departments, visiting speakers, etc.
Responses varied considerably, but the
broad topics prioritised include many of
those that you’d expect:
Not a Factor (13%) Pension (6%) Holidays (5%)
Company Culture (9%) Skills Growth (20%)
High Remuneration (12%) Bonuses (5%) Healthcare (12%)
Flexible Working (18%)
13
6
5
9
20 12
5
12
18
18% of applicants prefer some form of Flexible Working, i.e. Work
from Home schemes, flexitime, or remote working.
12% of applicants focus on High
Remuneration Other Than Bonuses,
i.e. higher-than-average salaries (most
of these), commuting budgets/travel
cards, or shares/stock options.
5% of applicants focus on
Bonus Structures.
talentpoint.co

10. Many technology professionals also mentioned Workplace
or Company Culture when asked about their preferred
benefits.
This is interesting, as it is not considered a benefit in and of
itself, but it can relate to the perks offered, such as flexible
working and skills growth.
talentpoint.co

11. “The company environment is the biggest benefit.
A company that provides good departmental communication
and a chance to grow and cross train, to develop skills, that’s
what matters. All these benefits can be sourced by simply
having a good company culture.”
– Java Developer
"I expect a healthcare package to
come as standard today, but the
company culture/work
environment, and people, are
most important."
– Java Developer
"Flexibility and the ability
to work from home are
key, but also a good work
culture with career
progression."
– Senior .NET Engineer
talentpoint.co

12. According to the 2019 LinkedIn Gender Insights Report, salary
and benefits are of more importance to women in general.
68% of professional women said they rated
the salary range and benefits as the most
important factor when considering a job,
compared to 58% of men.
Juxtapose this against career planning:
34% of male professionals considered long-term
career opportunities to be the most important
factor, compared to 28% of women.
talentpoint.co

13. So, how can your perks
compete if it’s impossible
to compete with the
highest salaries on
the market?
talentpoint.co

14. Tailor benefits packages
to each individual
1
talentpoint.co

15. Every individual is different, and one size often doesn’t fit all.
The easiest way to find out which perks will seal the deal is simply
to ask! Ensure you also listen carefully for any signals given by
interviewees as they progress through your hiring process.
What is truly important to them, as individuals? Are they
interested in gym benefits or food allowances? Is commuting
providing a challenge that you can help to alleviate, either through
travel or bike schemes? Would bringing their own device, or being
eligible for a tech loan, make the difference between joining your
team or signing on the line elsewhere?
Ask them, consider your options, and create the most appealing
package possible, tailored to them.
talentpoint.co

16. Create flexible or multiple
benefits packages
2
talentpoint.co

17. If custom tailoring benefits sounds like a logistical nightmare, then
providing the ability to choose between several packaged benefits options
can be an easier way to offer personalisation without much difficulty.
Create a few (say, 3 to 5) different benefits packages that each offer equal
value through different options, appealing to the different ages, career
stages and priorities of your employees. Perhaps one could be more
health and family-oriented, perfect for professionals with young families.
Another could offer lifestyle benefits and bonuses structures,
or retail and travel discounts.
Creating multiple employee ‘personas’ is a good way to form these
packages, to ensure benefits are not overly one-dimensional or skewed.
And, by allowing your employees to select the best option for them, you
ensure their satisfaction with their benefits going forward.
talentpoint.co

18. Embrace a learning culture
3
talentpoint.co

19. Technology is constantly evolving, daily. To stay relevant and to give your
business the best chance of success and rapid growth, technology
professionals need to keep learning. Skills growth and opportunities for
learning were cited as the key benefits of choice for respondents, but the
importance of having modern technical stacks and tooling cannot be
overstated.
When questioned, our respondents showed a clear interest in using new
technologies, frameworks and tools. Some of the tools and languages
specified included Selenium, REST Assured, Python, React Hooks, AWS,
Cloud technologies, Android development, and Ruby.
talentpoint.co

20. "Flexible working and tech
stack are the most important
elements of a role."
– Senior .NET Engineer
It is more important at this stage in my
career to find a role that will allow me to
work with automation testing, more so
than bonuses or benefits."
– QA Tester
talentpoint.co

21. Offer benefits that empower your employees to constantly learn.
That could include courses, training opportunities, eLearning platform
memberships, and workshops.
A low-budget option that has proven results is allocating ‘free time’
for employees to work on their own projects at certain points during
the working week.
For example, you could offer ‘Free Fridays’ – afternoons where, in the
event of no business-critical work in the pipeline, staff can tinker and
test their own projects or learn new languages.
talentpoint.co

22. Evolve your benefits
packages to meet the
needs of the times
4
talentpoint.co

23. Ordinarily, childcare benefits include parental leave, and perhaps
kindergarten allowances – all of which focus primarily on young
families. Now, however, childcare needs are evolving to include
longer-term family time – as seen by respondents’ focus on having
holiday allowances and flexible work options, explicitly to be able to
spend time with their families.
"Flexible working lets me pick up my daughter
from school. That’s really important to me."
– Senior .NET Engineer
talentpoint.co

24. What this shows is that employees consider the childcare aspect of
benefits to encompass more than parental leave.
"Ideally I would like to work from
home at least two days a week.
I’ve found it helps immensely with
childcare. It also allows me to just
generally see my family more,
which is great."
– Senior .NET Engineer
"I have two young children,
so I prefer jobs that allow me
some work-life balance in
the form of holiday
allowances or flexi-hours, so
I can see them more."
– Senior .NET Engineer
talentpoint.co

25. Staying abreast of current events and political tides that may affect
your staff – such as Brexit – would also be beneficial, both to your
company and your employees.
Being a metropolitan city, London has always been a hub for business.
According to figures from LinkedIn and Stack Overflow as reported by
London and Partners, London is the number one destination in Europe
for international technology workers, with techUK estimating the
number of new EU citizen hires in the technology sector being as high
as one in every six.
But how will Brexit change this – if at all?
talentpoint.co

26. The uncertainty surrounding the UK’s leaving of the EU is causing
growing concern amongst both technology companies and
professionals – many of which rely heavily on the UK’s existing
relationship with Europe.
Many respondents to our surveys cited visa assistance, relocation,
and potential Brexit issues as of primary importance when
considering a job. The lack of transparency surrounding the situation
is also resulting in increased stress among EU technology
professionals, even changing their job priorities.
"Medical and dental care are the most important to me normally, but
right now I mainly want to know I’ll have support for the Brexit situation."
– Senior .NET Engineer
talentpoint.co

27. Don’t assume money is a winner in every situation. Make sure your
benefits are well-rounded.
Tailor your benefits packages to your employees, either by listening
to individual preferences or by creating a few benefits package
options your staff can choose from.
Embrace a learning culture that encourages staff development and
allows your team the freedom to experiment with new projects and
technologies.
Ensure your benefits packages are up-to-date and reactive to the
current needs of your staff.
To summarise:
1
2
3
4
talentpoint.co

28. By ensuring your benefits packets will appeal
to your technology staff, you will not only
boost staff goodwill and gain a positive public
perception, but you will find yourself with
happier employees.
Happier employees are also more likely to stay
with you and your company and will be more
productive – two critically important factors to
consider when dealing with high-turnover,
hard-to-hire technology professionals.
talentpoint.co

29. Do you want to know more about what
motivates technology professionals?
Are you interested in what makes or
breaks your technology roles in terms of
attracting discerning tech professionals?
talentpoint.co

30. At Talent Point, we help organisations amplify their ability to
attract, engage and retain technology teams by putting planning,
data and career growth at the heart of their hiring.
As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping our finger on the
pulse of London's tech industry so as to better serve our
customers, we have released a number of the data reports and
analyses prepared by our research team.
If you think what we do could help you, we'd love to talk to you.
Otherwise, we hope you gained tangible, actionable insights to take
with you on your journey to create winning tech teams.
London
020 3011 1501
info@talentpoint.co
Level 1
15 Bermondsey Square
London
SE1 3UN