Can You Attract Top Talent Without Top Dollars?
Absolutely. This is a much talked about topic. Many of you have probably already heard stories about companies that use innovative benefits to attract staff. In Silicon Valley, some companies have gone as far as to allow employees to bring their pets to work. A few ideas that you might be less allergic to include:
- Move your company’s headquarters to an easy commute location. If most of your employees live in the suburbs, why make them commute downtown every day? Take space in a suburban office park near where most of them live. Locating your company near public transportation can also boost your recruiting efforts.
- Allow employees to take sabbaticals. Why not give your employees three to six months off once they have worked for your company for five years? Having a sabbatical policy will sound good to those you are trying to recruit and will no doubt keep many employees from seeking other employment as they approach their fourth and fifth years with your company.
- Job sharing. There are a lot of talented people out there – successful, well–educated moms; experienced workers nearing retirement age who just aren’t ready to give up working – who could be very valuable to your company on a part–time basis. Pair them up and bring some invaluable experience to your company.
- Onsite day care. No one likes to leave their child across town, and let’s face it, most workers have childcare issues. Give your company a leg up in the recruiting race by offering a strong, in–house childcare option.
- Telecommuting. Many workers don’t like to waste time commuting to work. Let them work from home – at least part of the time.
- Flex time. Some people are early birds. Let them start work at 7:00 a.m. Allow the night owls to arrive at 10:00 a.m.
- Small companies can get personal in the hiring process and assemble different compensation packages. By allowing workers to take off the time that they need and sign up for the benefits that suit them, small companies can outfox large companies and attract top talent.
