When you're competing with some of the most innovative companies in the industry, it may be hard to keep up (financially) with all the employee benefits or the bells and whistles that other teams are able to provide to prospective candidates to get them on board.
However, just because you're a startup business with a limited budget doesn't mean you can't get creative about promoting your brand in the marketplace as a viable employer with plenty of perks. That's why Forbes Human Resources Council members are generously sharing their best recommendations to help small business owners gain the interest of highly-skilled job seekers without breaking the bank.
Forbes Human Resources Council members share their insights.
Photos courtesy of individual members.1. Customized Solutions
I would highly recommend using Insperity. They offer a suite of amazing benefits and solutions that makes your employees feel the high-touch support of a larger organization's resources and programming and features without giving you sticker shock. - Joyce Jelks, Wieden + Kennedy
2. Flex Fridays, Credits
Sometimes it's the little things that go a long way. We've experienced a great deal of success in a remote environment with inexpensive perks like flexible Fridays (with either a half-day every Friday or one full Friday off every other week), Grubhub credits for meal delivery and fitness reimbursements. Commit to showing your employees that you're a people-first environment and positive results will follow. - Ryan Harris, TrueCar
3. Autonomy
Employees routinely rate autonomy, flexibility and purpose as priorities. Remote work, flexible schedules and unlimited PTO cost nothing but are highly valued. It’s the same with volunteering, which can also lead to employee bonding. Also, so many people adopted dogs during Covid. Offering Doggy Daycare sessions as employee rewards demonstrate you are meeting your employees where they are. - Carrie Trabue, Carrington Legal Search
4. Mental Health Days
Be creative. Think about what you can provide as unique perks that will get employees excited. How about adding a quarterly mental health day on top of PTO? Let everyone get their birthday off paid! Invest in learning and give employees an annual stipend for a virtual training class. Can you swing a virtual team yoga session for team building, exercise and fun? Ask employees what matters to them. - Amy Odeneal, Tech Recruiters
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5. Remote Work Flexibility
Organizations that can provide work-life flexibility will always have a competitive advantage. Explore how you can offer remote working opportunities and generous time-off policies. The key to making these benefits effective is to encourage people to leverage these opportunities and ensure the company culture honors those who do. - Cassandra Rose, Meritarc
6. Pet Benefits
Pet benefits are a rising but still largely uncommon benefit that both attracts applicants and can help current employees with pets feel more comfortable returning to the office. Additionally, as more younger workers delay starting a family, pet benefits can make total compensation feel more relevant and custom—a very desirable element of workplace culture that can quickly become costly. - Patrick Donegan, SEI
7. Financial Wellness Educational Tools
Amid continued economic uncertainty, offering financial wellness benefits is key. Employee financial stress is rising, so workers are looking to their employers for support with education and tools. Not only is this the right thing to do for employees, but it can also pay dividends for companies through increased engagement and productivity and reduced absenteeism and turnover. - Neha Mirchandani, BrightPlan
8. Unlimited PTO
If Covid taught us anything, it is the importance of personal time and growing our passions outside of our full-time work. Unlimited paid time off upon hire is an innovative benefit offering. Unlimited time off does not accrue on the balance sheet and allows employees optimal flexibility to derive work and life balance. - Nakisha Griffin, Neustar Security Services
9. Extended Holiday Breaks
Ignore the conventional, listen to your people and let the culture you want to foster govern the benefits you offer. If you want to offer longer holidays and shorter hours and it works for you, then do it. The likes of medical benefits are clearly top of many lists, but then others will follow and it won't differentiate you greatly. Celebrate your uniqueness as a business. - Alan Fergusson, WBN Global
10. Adjustable Work Hours
Most often employees are looking for perks that aren't costly for the organization. Having a good PTO policy or having the ability to work remotely is top of the list. As we have seen with the "Great Resignation," it is less about salary and more about the perks that come with the organization. Creative schedules, such as job sharing or adjusting work hours, have always been at the top of a wish list. - Heather Smith, Flimp Communications
11. Workplace Culture
Having the right culture is the most important aspect to attract top-caliber employees and retain them. Nowadays, people tend to outrank culture over commercials so much that they are ready to sacrifice money for being considered more valuable and appreciated by their employers. - Rabah Bu Hamdan, National Aviation Services (NAS)
