04/ 15/ 2004
Large companies may have the finances to offer attractive employee benefits, including: retirement benefits, full-coverage health insurance, paid holidays and vacations, bonuses, and even paid funeral leave or jury duty. But as a small employer, you may find yourself financially unable to match all these benefits. Nonetheless, there are specific (and very attractive) benefits you can offer employees and potential employees. In today's Workshop, writer Jeff Moses describes some ideal benefits for small businesses.
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2) More than two weeks vacation a year. Paid vacations are great, of course, but it could be just as attractive to some employees to have additional time off, perhaps to visit distant family, to further their education, or simply to participate in hobbies or sports interests.(Note: nearly 90 percent of all employees receive some form of paid vacation during the year. If you currently offer paid vacations, to make employment at your company more attractive, consider offering an additional week or two of unpaid vacation time during the year to be scheduled in advance, of course.)
3) The ability to take unscheduled breaks during the day. Again, this helps those with young children or elderly parents who need care.(Caution: this policy, while highly attractive to certain employees, needs to be clearly defined to avoid abuse.)
4) An exceptionally attractive working environment. It doesn't cost much, if anything, to provide a workplace that makes a person feel at home. Large companies often have impersonal work areas for employees, making a person feel ill at ease. Make sure when hiring new employees or interviewing potential employees that you list this benefit. It's an "intangible" but in the long run can make work a joy for a person rather than a drudgery.
5) The ability to telecommute, if only for a few days a week. (Again, make sure that schedules are worked out in advance.)
6) If your business offers products or services that employees use during their off-hours, consider providing these services free as a benefit. For example, print shops could offer to design and print personalized letterhead for employees.
7) Don't forget to offer employees discounts on products your business provides. Any retail store can take advantage of such built-in benefits(and perhaps still turn a small profit on items bought at discount by employees).
8) Recognition for a company's successful projects. Experts insist that many employees are as motivated by gaining recognition as they are by financial reward. Individual workers in small businesses, which have fewer employees than large companies, are more critical for a company's success. Make it a top priority that all employees realize how important they are, and that periodically certain outstanding individuals are recognized for their special contributions
workshop.microbusiness.fri
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