According to the 2025 Business Generosity Report released by goBeyondProfit and Georgia CEO, over half (52%) of employees rate their current company’s employee care as average or failing. This dissatisfaction is largely due to a gap between what employers offer and what employees consider above-and-beyond care.

While employees consistently find all aspects of generosity related to employee care important, flexible work schedules (94%) and mental health support (92%) remain the most critical for the fourth consecutive year. In fact, a notable 1-in-3 (36%) specifically rank flexible work schedules as the single most important demonstration of generosity.

Here are the biggest trends to watch: 

• Flexible Work Schedule. Unsurprisingly, this remains a top priority for employees. Currently, 75% of executives offer increased flexibility (beyond just remote work—encompassing flexible shifts and hours as well as responsiveness to life’s demands). Its continued importance is highlighted by 52% of employees reporting that it also increases their productivity.

• Mental Health Support. Employees’ request for greater mental health support continues, and executives are responding. The percentage of companies offering this has risen from 41% in 2023 to 60% this year.

• Maternal Health Support. For the second consecutive year, expanded maternal health support (covering pregnancy, prenatal and post-partum care, fertility, adoption, and surrogacy) maintains strong demand. Notably, 85% of employees consider it important with over half (51%) finding it very important—an 11-point increase from 40% in 2023.

Since only 47% of the workforce is women, this is clearly a priority for many employees. While the percentage of companies offering this has surged from 21% to 44%, there is still a significant 41-point gap—one of the largest disconnects presented in this report.

• Childcare. The data reveals childcare support as an emerging priority. Nearly 4-in-5 employees (77%) find it important, including 43% who consider it very important. However, only 32% of companies offer this benefit—up from 12% in 2024, but a substantial 45-point opportunity gap still exists.

• Cost-Benefit of Office Perks. While 55% of executives offer updated, collaborative workspaces with great perks, this employee care option ranks at the bottom of employee requests, with only 5% citing it as most important. This indicates a significant disconnect between high executive investment and what employees perceive as most valuable.

• Upskilling/Retraining. 91% of employees find upskilling and retraining important. This demand may be tied to the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Both executives (44%) and employees (54%) anticipate that AI will disrupt the workplace this year, with 31% of employees specifically concerned about job loss due to consolidation, streamlining, and automation. Notably, executives report decreasing investment in this area, dropping over 10 points from 61% last year to 50% this year.

For executives who read these priorities and believe their investments are well-positioned, the 2025 Business Generosity Report offers a path to close the perception gap between what you offer and what employees value by communicating generosity efforts consistently. Share the good news, often.