Incentives and Perks Your Employees Want Most

Finding talented employees is more challenging than ever and when you do find viable candidates, you face the tough job of winning them away from the competition. Smaller businesses often find they can't afford to pay the best salaries but fortunately, that isn't always necessary. There are perks smaller businesses can offer that may put them ahead of the pack. In fact, some incentives are even more important than money, including a good work culture .

A positive work culture starts by creating an environment where employees feel their needs are being met. Here are a few incentives that can give you an edge when trying to recruit top talent.

Healthcare

Job seekers know the importance of health insurance when job searching, and a good healthcare plan could put you ahead of a higher-paying competitor. Whether you're required by law to provide medical benefits or not, it's a wise idea to offer them, especially since more than half of employees with employer-provided health benefits said it was a deciding factor in whether they stayed.

Flexibility and Time Off

Today's workers want flexible work schedules, especially the coveted millennial demographic. This goes beyond merely letting someone work from home a couple of days a week. Letting employees work wherever they want, whenever they want, can be a valuable incentive. As always, paid sick leave, vacation time, and maternity/paternity leave will often appeal to a candidate over salary, especially if you're offering more than other employers.

Recognition

Recognition is a small thing you can do from time to time, but it goes a long way. Employees crave recognition for a job well done, and even better if that acknowledgment comes within view of their peers. Although you can mention this during interviews as a job perk, it also will become part of your work culture that your team will tell others about, naturally attracting top candidates.

Training and Education

Investing in continuing education benefits your business in a variety of ways . First, employees work on their own personal improvement through training, boosting their resumes while earning a paycheck. But your business also benefits from a more skilled, educated workforce. You can pay for a subscription for an online site like Lynda.com or Udemy, or, if your team's work is more specialized, bring in a trainer to teach a course every now and then. Either way, the investment will be well worth it.

To help build your benefits package, take a look at what competitors are offering and make sure you're keeping up. You can also ask your current employees what they would like to see offered as a perk. Over time, you'll have a package that fits the unique needs of your team.