Today’s candidate market is more competitive than ever. CareerBuilder’s 2017 Midyear Job Forecast found that nearly half (47 percent) of employers are planning to add full-time, permanent employees in the third quarter. Numbers like these mean that employers will need to work harder to attract and retain the best talent for the job.
Offering the right employee benefits is one way to gain a strong competitive advantage when recruiting top talent.
According to CareerBuilder's 2017 Candidate Experience Research, detailed information on benefits and perks is very important to job seekers. In fact, benefits and perks info is rated as the second most relevant area of all potentially available information on a company’s career site, only behind salary/compensation for the job
Since benefits packages carry so much weight when it comes to the job seeker’s decision, it’s important to make sure you are offering attractive benefits that don’t hurt your bottom line. Check out this list of enticing – yet realistic—employee benefits that can give you a leg up on the competition:
Half-Day Fridays
According to a 2016 CareerBuilder survey, 40 percent of employees said they would be more willing to join or stay with a company that offered half-day Fridays. While candidates and employees are incited by the time off, know that it’s perfectly fair to tack on the stipulation that all work must be completed to take advantage of the benefit.
On-Site Fitness Center or Gym Membership
Health and fitness is on the minds of many candidates and employees. Offering to support those goals through free or discounted gym memberships—or yearly wellness stipends—shows that you understand your workforce.
Pet Insurance
According to the ASPCA, approximately 78 million dogs and 85.8 million cats are owned in the U.S. So, chances are many of your employees have a pet. Offering pet insurance is a great way to provide a benefit that fits your employee demographics’ needs.
Flexible Work Schedules
The ability to either work remotely or set nontraditional work hours is a tremendous benefit to many employees, including those with children.
Time to Volunteer
Corporate volunteering is an increasingly popular trend that offers employees a set amount of time each year to pursue a volunteer project either on their own or through a company-sponsored program. These programs are proven to increase employee engagement and give your company the opportunity to make a difference in the community.
Unlimited Vacation Time
This one may be more difficult to pull off, but research suggests offering unlimited PTO attracts top talent and offers the added bonus of less bookkeeping.
Need small business-specific solutions? Check out these nine competitive benefits for small businesses.
