A surprising number of the workforce claim that they’re underpaid which can often lead to employees feeling undervalued, increased job dissatisfaction, lower productivity and an increase in absence. Furthermore, low salaries as advertised in job vacancies are deterring highly talented candidates from even submitting an application.
So the question is, how do you attract new talent and retain those that you do have with a low salary budget? Incentivising staff to stay and enticing new candidates to a company can be achieved by putting in place non-financial incentives. Taking the time to build an attractive “benefits package” and reviewing the benefits you currently offer will help in recruiting the right talent for your business and maintaining the staff you currently value. During recruitment, it is important to bear in mind that candidates will often compromise a higher salary for a strong employee benefits package and a positive employee experience.
Studies conducted by CIPHR suggest that an alarmingly high number of employees don’t believe that they’re being paid what they are worth and unsurprisingly this feeling is exasperated by the length of time an employee last received a pay rise. A poll of over a thousand British adults reveals that less than half of UK workers consider their salary reflective of the responsibility they carry and the effort and hard work they put into their role. With the added difficultly of a talent war and an ongoing battle to fill job vacancies, getting creative in incentivising candidates to join companies is becoming the new norm for small businesses to ensure they remain competitive with corporate giants.
ManpowerGroup studies show that half of UK businesses are offering training and mentoring as a new incentive over increasing wages. Meaning that despite less money being spent on salaries, you can still attract competency and talent that will grow with the business.
Manpower Group’s studies revealed a list of the most popular non-financial incentives that UK businesses are offering.
- Training & Development or mentoring
- Flexible work schedules
- Flexible working locations
- Holidays
- Lowering skill requirements in favour of investing in growth
Of course, there is always the option to increase salaries, however by doing so there often needs to be an upturn in productivity to balance out the investment. Other benefits such as hybrid working can be a more powerful incentive for candidates and shouldn’t be underestimated. The important part when reviewing employee benefits is not to rely on offering just one! Having the ability to offer a combination will be attractive to new recruits and result in a strong employee benefits package that will retain both future and current employees.
If you would like to have a chat about any of the above information or have other queries that you need answering, why not book a FREE 15-minute call at a time convenient for you with either Kate or Hannah.
Join our 1-hour LIVE recruitment webinar on Thursday 11th November and discover how to effectively recruit to ensure you save both time and money and understand and implement the correct recruitment techniques to ensure that you recruit and retain the very best quality candidates.