Are Your Benefits Attractive to This Generation of Employees?

When you’re trying to attract candidates to your company, there’s probably one factor that you think about more than any other: salary. You want to offer a competitive but fair salary—one that will attract the right level of talent without crippling your bottom line.

But the truth is, salary is only part of the equation when it comes to compensation, especially in this day and age. Today’s candidates are not only looking for a promising salary, but also for perks, incentives, and benefits that take your company from “average” to “exceptional” in their book.

So what kinds of extra-credit benefits are this generation of employees looking for? Let’s take a quick look at some of the more popular ones.

Telecommuting (working from home).

For many employees of this generation, coming into the office every day requires time (that commute!) and effort that they feel could be better spent elsewhere. The option to telecommute, even for part of the time, is a very attractive one for employees. And with current technologies like Zoom and Skype, they can even easily join in on meetings, from home. While an attractive option, it’s not one that will work for every position, so take some time to think about if telecommuting is something you could offer.

Flexible Hours.

Does the work have to be done between 9 and 5? Or is there some wiggle room there? The ability to set their own schedule is an important one to this generation. This could be especially true for students who have to balance work and education. If this is something you can offer to your employees, make sure you accompany it with specific terms (e.g. you have to be present for the weekly staff meeting, you have to be available at this specific time for client interaction, etc.).

Generous Time Off Policies.

Many companies who are trying to attract candidates recognize that those candidates value their vacation time and time off. It might be worth examining your vacation policies, holiday schedule, or time off-limits to take a more generous approach. Whatever policy you decide to adopt, make sure it is clearly defined and outlined; you certainly don’t want any confusion over this!

Ongoing Training/Development.

Especially true for entry-level positions, many of today’s best candidates are eager to continue learning and growing as they enter the workforce. Providing them with opportunities to do so, whether that’s by paying for them to attend a conference, hiring experts for occasional coaching sessions, or paying for online classes or training programs, will attract the right kind of candidate to your company.

Healthcare.

Though a touchy (and rather expensive) subject, companies that provide some level of healthcare benefit to their employees will almost always be more attractive to candidates than ones that don’t. Find a provider that can offer good, reasonably priced benefits to your employees, and you’ll definitely be attracting plenty of candidates.

It can be hard to know what today’s pool of candidates is looking for in a workplace. You want to stand out above the competition so that when the right candidate comes your way, they are just as excited about it as you are. These benefits might not be all the ones you want to offer, but they will at least get you off to a good start.

Need a little extra help finding and attracting the right candidate? EDI Staffing offers professional staffing services that can help you recruit, attract, and keep great talent. We can help staff permanent, temporary, and contract positions, and we offer professional services that will keep things running smoothly with your new team. Contact us today! We look forward to serving you.