Behind the success of every prospering company, there is a great team. The ability to find an above average employee is priceless. Reliable team members allow you to sleep at night. You can trust them to do their job the best way they possibly can. But what happens when people don’t want to work for you anymore? Better ask - how to prevent them from wanting to leave? In today’s post, we are discussing all of the benefits you can give your employees to make their work life even better.
Did you know that more than half of the people currently employed aren’t actively looking for a job, but… If anything better comes along, they would consider taking the new opportunity. It’s probably not because they don’t like their current employer but most of us humans at the end of the day want to take care of our needs and desires. A better job offer means higher salary, improved contract, more suitable work environment, extra bonuses etc.
Nice office space
When building your own tech team you need to remember that these people could easily be working from home. That is why you have to provide them with a good working space, even better than the one they have at home. Nowadays every company with a good position on the market goes overboard with their office design. Modern interior means a creative team, new technologies and being up to date with market changes. But if your budget doesn’t allow you to go overboard with trendy interior design, then you must focus on the basics:
-clean space,
-natural light,
-fresh air (green plants work wonders),
-modern furnishings and equipment,
-social rooms.
After all, they will be spending at least 8h per day in that space so it needs to meet their needs while keeping them comfortable.
Friendly atmosphere and respect
There’s nothing worse than coming to work every day and feeling stress and anxiety each morning. Having unhelpful work colleagues or manipulative boss will drain the life out of any employee. If you see a sign of these types of behaviours in your workspace, you need to get rid of the source right away. Better yet, prevent it by giving the best example. Set up a “buddy” program for every new employee. Help your team to integrate and build relationships by going out together. You can always make Friday a pizza day, who doesn’t like pizza? It’s always a good idea to have games in your workspace. There’s plenty to choose from - the classic Fussball, some offices have PlayStation, table tennis etc.
Anything works if people can use it to relax between tasks and have fun with each other. Another way of creating a positive relationship with a company is giving out freebies with your logo. Everyone loves a cool gift - mugs, notebooks, pens - they’re alright but backpacks or cotton totes are even better. It’s a way of building an identity with your company outside of the office.
Interesting projects
Work that gives you pleasure is just the best, isn’t it? If you wake up every day and can’t wait to go to work when time flies at the office and you don’t even mind staying after hours... It’s possible but a very rare occasion. Imagine your company could be that place for your employees. The only way to establish that is to prepare a solid ground (a nice office and a good salary will do) and add to it interesting projects. It doesn’t mean that you have to get expensive clients from the US and work with an unlimited budget. Your employees will be happy if you let them experiment, be creative, don’t follow the same path with every project. Let them learn and try new things. That way they’ll be having fun while doing their job.
Non-wage benefits
Non-wage benefits are simply given in any business establishment. The reason behind it is - by providing your employees with benefits, you take care of their health, mind and soul. You don’t need a degree in business to know that a happy worker is more beneficial to your business. Some of the most frequently used non-wage benefits are:
- gym/fitness pass,
- private healthcare program,
- food and drink available in the kitchen area,
- lunch sponsored by the company,
- annual trips for the team.
Meals or trips can be a pain for your budget, so you should ask your accountant if you can manage that. But it’s definitely better to do it once in a while than never.
What about money?
Last but definitely not least - money. It’s undisputed that money is the most important factor in accepting the job offer. You can give your employees all of the freebies but what really counts is their bank statement. It’s not surprising considering the market changes and the value of salary every IT company offers these days. Any company wanting to make a hit in the IT industry depends on skilled engineers. To gain them, you need to join in with the competition. From an employee point of view, a degree in IT or adjacent engineering field is a guarantee of a solid and constantly growing salary. People know it and most of them won’t be satisfied with an average income and zero perspectives.
