Employment Strategy Corner: A "creative" benefits package helps land top candidates

April 21, 2011

Lots of the companies we work with are small and privately held. But some of our smallest clients are our most innovative. Because they don’t have deep pockets, they’ve added benefits that don’t cost much but earn them a ton of goodwill with their employees.

These are the types of things that delight your employees and attract people to your company. These benefits tell your employees, and the candidates you want to attract, about the culture of your company. Think about adding some of these to your package:

Flexible time – Do all of your employees have to work the same hours? Probably not. Bend a bit on work hours and place of work when possible.
Mother’s hours – There are a lot of talented parents out there who’d like their jobs to coincide with their children’s schedules. Think about structuring your job to meet their needs.
Birthday off – What a fun way to spend a birthday with a day off. It costs you a little, but it means a lot to employees.
Health club memberships – Some of this cost can be subsidized by your health plan. Check it out.
Floating, flexible holidays – Not everyone wants the day after Thanksgiving off. Make more of your holidays and floating ones.
Museum tickets – Join as a corporate member and then offer your employees tickets on a first-come basis or performance basis.
Some other clients that have deeper pockets offer benefits like:
A parking space – This is offered by a client in the city and believe me, it’s a real draw.
A metro or subway pass – Employees can use it on the weekends too.
Increased vacation time – When you are hiring someone who may be more expensive than your budget permits, there is nothing easier to negotiate than increasing his/her vacation time. In my experience, future employees always want more of this, and it’s a good negotiating “chip.”

Just remember these two things when thinking about beefing up your benefits package:

Your employee benefits package will help you recruit top talent and it will keep top talent in your company.
You will more than save the money you spend on your package by retaining your employees. Remember: Employees are expensive to replace.

So be creative in putting together your benefits package. Watch the effects it will have on employee relations and retention.

SEE YOU HERE NEXT MONTH FOR OUR ARTICLE: Making a job change? Here are some useful tips to help you construct a job-winning resume.

Philip Kemper is Founder/President of Kemper Associates, a 34-year-old Chicago-based national executive search firm, specializing in Permanent and Contract staffing for Trade Shows and Exhibits, Staging and Equipment Rental, Business Meetings and Events Production, Video, Training and Incentives and more .His more complete bio is on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/philip-kemper/2/795/308/ . You may view Kemper Associates’ web site at: www.Kemperassociates.net , and contact Phil with questions or comments, and employment needs at: Kemperassoc@hotmail.com, or his private phone line: (312) 944-6551.