The job market is more competitive than ever. It’s not just potential employees in competition these days, though, but also the employers. Highly qualified workers are, appropriately, highly in demand. Being a great company means having a great workforce, so how do you attract the best, most skilled, most educated, most experienced, most motivated employees?
Even more than wages, one of the biggest things that today’s hires look at when choosing an employer is perks. In many ways, the perks a company offers are what set it apart from the pack. Here are some of the most sought-after job perks companies should offer if they really want to bring in the best of the best.
Student Debt Assistance
Some of the most in-demand hires are those fresh out of school. The reasons for this are simple: new graduates tend to be some of the most up-to-date, well educated, and highly motivated employees on the market.
Unfortunately, they’re also the most saddled with debt. An employee student loan repayment benefit is a great way for a company to entice potential hires, while also encouraging employee retention and reducing employee stress.
Profit Sharing
Let’s face it, an employee who works extra-hard to ensure a company’s success rarely sees any of that success themselves. The result is predictable: a disillusioned employee who thinks “why should I work any harder than I have to?” To be truly inspired, an employee has to be invested in their employer.
One of the best ways to invest an employee in a company? Make them feel a part of it. Not just as a cog in the machine, but as a genuine partner. Whether in the form of a quarterly or yearly bonus, profit sharing is a very effective means of giving employees a stronger connection to their place of employment.
Longer Parental Leave
Anyone with a child knows there’s no time more precious, or more difficult, than the period right after birth. New and old parents alike have little concentration or energy to spare, with mothers especially requiring physical recuperation time. While a certain amount of paternity/maternity leave is guaranteed by law, being stingy with time off does little to endear a company to its employees.
On the other hand, offering more paternity/maternity leave than simply what’s required can communicate to employees that their well-being is important to a business. It also ensures that when they come back to work, they’ll be well-rested and raring to go.
Reduced Prescription Costs
With healthcare remaining a hot button issue in the U.S., and with prescription medication costs sometimes shockingly expensive, many potential employees with health issues simply can’t afford to accept a job with a business that won’t help alleviate their healthcare concerns.
Insurance programs are good, but not always sufficient. Sometimes even the best programs don’t adequately cover prescription and co-pay costs. Increasingly, companies are finding it in their best interest to offer reduced prescription benefits to employees. Simply put, a healthy employee is a happy employee, and a happy employee is a productive one.
