What are the most important employee 'perks' and can they every make p for a low salary?

[KatyMac]

I run my business on a bit of a shoestring & whilst I'd really like to put my staffs wages up high, I really can't afford to (to put it into context I made no profit at all this year - I'm not going to stop doing it tho' I really love it)

So I need to find ways to show my staff that I value them and appreciate the work they do

So I am considering increasing A/L, playing about with subsidised childcare, I also provide meals, a Christmas Bonus (& presents for any children under 18)

Are they any interesting/unusual ideas which I could add to their employement package?

TIA

insurance

Sadly you can't decide to add the benefit of a good atmosphere at work which can make up for an awful lot of other things - ie, do they feel valued and motivated on a daily basis by what you say and how you treat them. It won't keep your staff there forever, they'll get experience and move into higher paid companies, but you'll keep them longer if their day to day life is better, rather than perks, IMHO.

You sound nice though. I wouldn't worry.

I know Peaches about the atmosphere, we recently had a change (in a small way) and everyone has said how much better it has made things

Pistachio - unfortunately any pay increase is going to be small and insignificant so I need to make everything else as lovely as possible

Expat - what sort? & is that more important than a pension?

Health insurance is nice but it'll cost you money.

Extra annual leave has tempted me to stay in a job longer.

Can you do flexitime? That was a big bonus when i had it, but not sure it would work for all businesses.

Not really - it's childcare so we work to ratios, flexi-time would be trickey

I am tinkering with A/L on this thread - but I'm not sure it makes that much difference

I'd pay them all loads - if we were talking about what they were worth, rather than how much parents will pay for childcare

Hi again Katy - depends on who your workforce are, but being able to be flexible with working hours goes a long way.

Also, where DH works, he gets a Christmas "bonus" of either a beef joint or a Turkey and a pork joint or a ham, plus 2 bottles of wine. The firm do a deal with local butcher, so it probably doesn't cost a fortune, but is very well received. More so I think that the same value in cash would be IYSWIM. Don't think it would stop anyone leaving if they had a mind to, but does contribute to the general feeling of "this is a good place to work"

I let staff have time off to do nativity/easter/harvest etc (or if we are short staffed they can take the children to these events, so at least they get to see them)

I let people take children's illness as a/l & if they want they can take their sick as a/l

I wonder if some sick days might be a better way to go

My employer pays for my childcare vouchers (it would be £250 a month but I work part time so it's pro-rated).

I really appreciate it and it was a big factor in making it financially viable for me to come back to work. I'm not sure it makes up for the wages but it certainly takes the edge off, and it prevented me from running off to another company in our sector.

They are also really good about sick leave for kids (don't make you declare it as your own sick leave or use holiday or unpaid leave or anything like that) and I truly appreciate that - it makes me very careful what time I take off.

I tell you what I would have loved (but they don't offer) is the option to take additional unpaid maternity leave. I would have adored to take 2 years and it would have been almost financially the same because childcare in our area is so high until the child turns 2. As it is I came back and effectively lost money for a year because I knew that eventually I would start to make it back after DS turns two.

Yes, knowing that you can take time off when ill is something which will make people feel more valued. It's awful to feel you're dragging yourself in when you really shouldn't be there.

The childcare is a tricky one - I provide free childcare for school age children (before & after school & holidays) but only if they go to a school we already collect from
I provide subsidised childcare for children under 5 (quite generous for under 5's but not as good ofr under 1's) plus they get to be with their children while at work

That is a difficult 'perk' because it discriminates against people without children

sorry just saw the bit about your profits - i am guessing that paying for their childcare vouchers is out of the question!

But just offering things like salary sacrifice etc is a big help. My friend's employer can't be arsed to set the scheme up and it makes a big difference to her as she effectively pays 25% extra for her childcare.

And the additional additional maternity leave wouldn't cost you anything and might result in more staff retention overall.

But mainly I think just TELLING staff that they are lovely is a huge help - too many people just struggle on, unappreciated.

An unexpected cake once a month for the staffroom to say thanks after a grim week, a bottle of wine if someone's put the extra mile in, all these cost pence in comparison to huge payrises but they make people feel a million times better

(I read about a recent study that said that people actually got as much satisfaction out of being praised by their boss as they did out of a small payrise)

I am underpaid but have great colleagues and a really fantastic, fair, understanding line managr and boss. It really does make up for it.

"That is a difficult 'perk' because it discriminates against people without children"

I don't think you can see it as discriminating - after all, we don't see maternity leave as discriminating against the childless? But I agree it doesn't help attract/retain the childless.

There are (or used to be) other salary sacrifice schemes like purchasing computers and bikes through your payroll and therefore not having to pay tax. They can be a good way for small employers to offer something extra to childless staff.

But I don't know which schemes are still in operation - I think a lot were closed down. I should say, I don't work in HR as you may have guessed!

Katy I honestly think you're doing enough already but regular opportunities for training, including being paid for the time to train/getting time off in lieu if you attend a course on a weekend is a big plus.

Paid for training at weekends I reckon I could do that (but it has to be approved training - is that mean?) I can definitely do TOIL

I'm tinkering with A/L

Maybe think about some paid sick leave

OK I'm starting to get somewhere

A great salary is a wonderful thing but it doesn't mean much if the working environment is horrible. Having a great place to work with a flexible boss who understands your responsibilities outside of the workplace and accepts that sometimes other things will be more important than work is a huge asset.

My Managing Director is great - admittedly my salary is very good - but we have a work phone (BlackBerry for emails), a quarterly bonus scheme if we hit targets, a staff night out paid for by the company once a quarter regardless of targets, christmas night out paid for by the company and he is flexible about the fact that I have a child and sometimes have to leave if he is ill or has some kind of emergency. He allows a certain degree of flexibility so that I can use lunch breaks to attend school plays... why oh why are they always during the day and never start or finish on time!

Plus when I started with the company I had to relocate so he paid for my relocation and bought me a car when my own died a death during my second week of work and prior to me moving into the area!

Whilst he is clearly one in a million, it isn't so much what he has done for me and the other employees it is the fact that he sees us as people rather than commodities and he helps where he can to create a happy and welcoming work environment. He gives us a smile, he comes down to wish us all a good morning, he asks about our families, he asks our opinions and thoughts, he tries them out and gives us credit if they work and he lets us know that it is our business as much as his to develop and grow. Doubt that helps much though! We are proud of our jobs, our company and we want to succeed and want to go to work.

I doubt that helps you much though!

I was thinking of training when reading the beginning of this thread. Approved training isn't mean, providing that you would approve training which would be relevant for a childcare worker - for your business and for the worker - that's normal even for very big businesses.

As for retaining/attracting the childless, it depends on what you mean. People who really don't want to (or can't) have their own kids won't appreciate maternity leave and other child friendly provisions, but for those of us who have just taken a long time to get round to having kids it may still be a positive that helps our recruitment/retention. It's certainly been a factor in me staying in my current job (10 years in May including one 11 month maternity leave) - I'm now hoping to do it again and return for the minimum length of time then leaving both job and this city.

You could increase their annual leave by a day a year once they have completed say 2 or 3 years service? Up to a maximum number of days per year.

Or you could offer them a day off for their birthday - or half a day off for Christmas shopping

Love the day off for their birthday - that's fab

Actually PurpleParrot - that does help - at least I know that some of the stuff I do makes a difference to some people - this bit "he sees us as people rather than commodities and he helps where he can to create a happy and welcoming work environment. He gives us a smile, he comes down to wish us all a good morning, he asks about our families, he asks our opinions and thoughts, he tries them out and gives us credit if they work and he lets us know that it is our business as much as his to develop and grow" is especially important

I worked in catering and my wages were not wonderful! I did love my job and my boss at the time did little things for us that really made a difference.

When we were at work one day we were all given an A$ sheet of paper with a list of questions
1)what is your favourite food treat?
2) If you were going to pamper yourself what would you pamper?
3) What are your fav mags
5) What is your fav tipple?
6) Your hobby?

As time went on and we had guest survey come back with our name on i.e. Katherine really took good care of us in the reastaurant etc

We would find a small gift in was given to us for hard work - but it was not just any gift but our fav chocolate or something like a book by out fav author that had just come out, a pedicure at a local salon (need that one on your feet!)

That meant more to me than a pay rise and didn't exactly cost him the earth

That's lovely IvyKaty - I will use that - Thank you

Gifts etc are great (my company do this), but I think I'm right in saying that anything over £50 per person per year is taxable, so either you have to pay the tax for them, or they have to pay tax on the value of the gift - so definitely worth keeping under the £50, or it suddenly isn't quite so appealing...

meant to add, it's not so much the gift that matters but the fact that your boss noticed you'd gone the extra mile & said thank you.

They also send flowers and/or champagne for "life events" - eg marriage, birth of child, death of a close relative, while you are off recuperating from an operation etc. (obviously don't send champagne for the "death of a close relative" one - unless it's their evil MIL )

Thanks Betsy - that's good advise