What’s holding your business back from attracting the best and brightest employees? Your mind might turn to money. If your small or medium sized business is not a in a position to offer the highest salaries in your industry, all is not lost. Top talent candidates are after more than money, says a recent report from the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM).
NCMM combined feedback from more than 400 middle-market C-suite executives with talent acquirer The Novo Group’s responses from more than 600 executives that are potential candidates for senior roles at mid-sized companies. The result is enlightening.
In the report, NCMM highlights the story of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio. The company’s chief people officer, Eric Duerksen, explains the benefits that he uses to persuade people to make the move to Ohio and work for Jeni’s.
Here’s the list:
- Rapid growth – People find a successful, expanding enterprise attractive.
- Opportunity for impact – Staff members can have a more direct effect at Jeni’s than at their previous places of employment.
- Meaningful culture – The values the company espouses are seen in the company leaders’ daily internal and external interactions.
- Active community involvement – Besides supporting the local community in a variety of ways, being mindful of their environmental impact is especially appealing to millennials, Duerksen tells NCMM.
- Collaborative work environment – The office is open, flexible, comfortable, and fun, which encourages interaction between team members and doesn’t isolate anyone.
- Rewarding extras – In its benefits package, there are things like a supplemented gym membership and paid garage parking. Plus, there’s the opportunity to have an onsite ice cream parlor with an all-you-can-eat option. Also, employees earn a one-month paid sabbatical for every years of employment.
If you examine these selling points, you can see that what brings people to this Midwestern company is more than just a juicy salary. People want room to grow professionally, a company that cares about the people in its community, and an understanding from their employers that there needs to be room in their lives for things beside work.
As you formulate or update your HR strategy, keep this list handy, or download the full document from NCCM here.
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