There are a lot of misconceptions that do the rounds when it comes to opening a business, and one of the best surround recruitment. Many companies mistakenly believe that in order to land the best employees, you have to pay the best salaries.
Granted, in some cases this will be true. After all, we are all motivated by different things and for some people, a high salary tops the list of priorities.
This group of people can be smaller than you might first imagine though. In other words, you might not be able to compete with companies offering huge pay checks, but you can in other ways. These other ways can well and truly make the difference, as we take a look at some methods you can prove more enticing during your recruitment drive.
Employee benefits are key
Naturally, these benefits are going to vary between businesses. Nowadays, some of the most common involve discounted gym membership or cinema tickets. Admittedly, these are going to cost you, but particularly in the case of the gym example this is something that has been found to reduce the number of sick days that employees take (and actually save you money).
When you do iron out your benefits packages, the next step is making sure that they are well-publicized. So many companies have these offers, but then don't let their employees know about them. Zest can help manage your employee benefits scheme and show everyone why your firm is the right place to be.
Embrace flexible working
First and foremost, there can be a bit of a disclaimer with this next point. The concept of flexible working has come on leaps and bounds over recent years, but there will always be some industries where it just isn't going to work. If your business relies on rigid, customer-facing hours, then you might fall into this category.
If it doesn't, then this can be a time to make your mark. Sure, more companies are making the move, but some are doing it more gradually than others. There are different ranges of flexible working; some companies allow staff to just work flexibly on a day-to-day basis (starting earlier, and finishing earlier for example), while others allow them to carry it forward across long periods of time and accumulate hours. It's the latter which can really make you stand out from the crowd.
Allow your employees to get truly involved in business
This final point might prove to be quite surprising. It has been found that rather than money and other obvious extrinsic benefits, something that a lot of employees value more than anything is just being valued. They like to feel as though they are contributing to a business, and ultimately adding value.
How can you do this? Regularly sharing company progress is one idea, while another is to make sure that everyone can have a sense of ownership. It’s going to be different for each role, but if you can give your workforce ownership it will work wonders for their motivation – and tempt even more people to join your company.
