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

[Judy1234]

Acknowledgement for hard work is really important and doesn't cost anything. I think any of us who are employed a nanny probably have experience of how to try to make an employee feel good too.

Praise. Employee of the month awards. I know one employer where one employee each month gets a free trip to the company's or the director's villa in Tenerife which is a much appreciated perk.

[tiredemma]

( I really miss working for Thomas cook though and getting fantastic holiday concessions!-))

[tiredemma]

Katy, I earn an absolute pittance at the moment (minimum wage) for demanding, hard, stressful work. I love my job because I love the residents and the clinical area that I work in (mental illness), my main gripe is that the management have no appreciation for the work that we do at all.

I think that what you are doing so far sounds fantastic, the birthday day off and half day xmas shopping day would be good.

For me, the best thing that a manager could do is acknowledge the hard work that I do with a regular thank you.

You sound like a great employer.

Sorry to hear about your nursery- hope things turn out good for you- God knows you deserve it x

[KatyMac]

Thanks for that Bubble - atm it's just for childminding - the nursery is off

[Bubble99]

Extra A/L (you've already thought of this)

Paid breaks - surprising how few nurseries seem to do this. the usual seems to be a nine hour day at work but paid for eight.

A decent staff room with internet access and use of a printer.

Lots of (genuine) praise and thanks.

Time and a half back for weekend training couses and time back for after-work staff meetings or open-evenings (again, not the norm for a lot of staff we have interviewed/employed)

I'll think of some more soon...

[tigermoth]

flexiblity is the biggest perk for me. Also allowing employees to work from home - but I don't suppose that's possible?

How about six monthly salary reviews as opposed to yearly ones? know you can't afford to raise wages much but could you afford to give little and often?

[KatyMac]

I think I have to limit it to 3 school age children tbh

[SmugColditz]

Subsidised childcare would be a big pull to me.

[Judy1234]

A monthly night out paid for to some extent is another one or even just organising work things that people pay for like a fun run for charity, things that foster the corporate spirit. Suggestion boxes employees can contribute ideas to with £10 for the best one work well too in some companies.

[KatyMac]

At leat I'm not mean

[ivykaty44]

You also do actually give a considerable amount to your staff already, as I noticed you give your staff a meal - is this a meal on duty?

When I was working in catering my meal on duty (and free coffee) was one of my biggest perks and saved me a hugh fortune in supermarket bills. When I left catering for the job I love now my food bill shot up! Probably about £20 per week difference to my food bill and I only worked part time. But because I eat on duty and my dc were at a minders it was 3-4 meals per week I had to make when I left.

I now have to pay for tea and coffee, supply my own meals when working, these things add up to probably around £5-6 per week.

Don'y get me wrong I love my job, and get a better wage, a good pension but it is all swings and roundabouts.

[LittleBella]

Well the biggest perk I've got which is why I do the job I do, is flexible and home working, but I appreciate that's difficult for you to do. It's also really important to me that I'm not expected to do extra time for free - I'm no longer prepared for my employer to cannibalise time which belongs to me and my children.

[Judy1234]

I am sure it is. I've bred my own (older student children and they're invaluable).

Perks do make a huge difference to people. They can be more troubled by cutting of perks in hard times (taxis home after 9 in the City or even culling of chocolate biscuits) than wage issues so it's important to get it right.

[KatyMac]

Xenia - free out-of-school care is pretty fab for those of us at the other end of the scale

I will check with IR btw

[Judy1234]

All the things above of course. Chocolate biscuits or fruit or something at work. Staff Christmas party -- they are tax deductible for you up to certain limits (check all the tax rules on any perks before you offer them).

When I read the thread title I was going to post about the biggest perk we got - virtually free school fees for a child (my ex husband taught at the school) and a virtually free flat. We knew one couple who got free private education in the wife's school for 3 children aged 4 - 13 and then at the husband's boarding school from 13 - 18 plus free school house. The school fee benefit to them was about £640,000 tax free so presumably about £1m if you take it out of taxed income and accommodation for them all for 20 or 30 years virtually free would have added a good bit on to that. Those are pretty good perks!

[KatyMac]

Thanks Betsy - that's good advise

[BetsyBoop]

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 )

[BetsyBoop]

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...

[KatyMac]

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

[ivykaty44]

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

[KatyMac]

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

[ShinyPinkShoes]

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

[elkiedee]

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.

[Purpleparrot]

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!

[KatyMac]

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