Has your small business grown to the point that you need to hire employees? If so, you may be thinking that there is no way you can attract good employees with what you can afford to pay. However, sometimes salary is not as important as other benefits. During the hiring process, stress that you:
1. Are willing to listen to employee suggestions. It’s amazing how much employee morale improves when bosses listen to and implement suggestions that could improve the business. Listening to your employees helps build a “We’re all in this together.” attitude.
2. Offer a work environment that is family friendly. Hold family picnics, make sure that you tell parents to bring children to work on Take Your Daughter to Work Day and, if possible, offer flex time.
3. Provide paid vacation days, even if it is just Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and July 4th. You’d be amazed at how many large work environments do not give any paid vacation days to part time staff.
Originally posted on April 5, 2006 @ 6:17 am
These are all great points. Studies on employee motivation all point out that pay is not a motivator. If you’re not paid enough, you’ll be demotivated, but a huge salary won’t keep an employee at a job they hate. So, simple signs that an employee is appreciated and valued, like those listed above, can make all the difference in employee motivation and retention.