When starting a new business we often put a lot of time and effort into making sure that it’s a great place for our customers and attracts new customers every day, but what about the people that work for us? Without employees, many businesses would be unable to run, so why is it that more and more business owners are neglecting to make their staff feel valued and appreciated?
If you’re looking to hold onto your best staff and don’t want to spend precious time and money recruiting further staff members once they leave, we’ve put together a list of ways in which you can make you startup a more attractive place to work all round for both existing and potential new staff.
Offer competitive salary
You will obviously have a budget on the amount that you can pay your staff, but it’s important to pay them a living wage or they will easily be attracted away by other companies who are offering them a much more comfortable salary.
The amount that you pay your staff will depend on the job that they do, although you should always aim to pay them more than the nationally required minimum. When it comes to pay, it’s also a good idea to offer an attractive range of benefits and bonuses as well in order to further attract both existing and new staff.
Offering regular bonus payments for top performers, financial benefits, and other extras such as the option to pay into a savings scheme may not seem like much, however they all work together to make your startup a more attractive place to work.
Employees will appreciate flexible hours
When possible, allow your employees the option for flexible hours in order to make your startup a more enjoyable and attractive place to work for them.
Employees with families or other commitments will appreciate the option to be more flexible with hours and choose different working times to suit them, and if you can also offer the option for employees to work from home or telecommute, this can also be a great way of helping them work more productively.
Employees that work from home tend to be happier and more satisfied in their jobs, plus allowing employees to work from home means less expenses for you.
Invest in personal developmental training courses
If your employees know that they have the option of carrying on for a great career within your business with the option for developmental training and internal promotions, you are more likely to retain them as members of your workforce.
Most employees would like to be secure in a job where they have the opportunity to move forward and progress within global business solutions, plus internal, developmental training whilst on the job can also provide employees with a better sense of self-worth and keep them from getting bored at work as they have something to aim towards.
Internal developmental training programs can be optional for those employees who would like to progress, and will provide a sense of growth and progression within your company for them.
Related: The Most Critical Components For a Healthy (And Productive) Startup Culture
Appreciate your employees
For the majority of working people, feeling appreciated for the job that they do is an essential part of working life. For this reason, it’s crucial that you make sure your employees feel appreciated and valued – if they do not, it would be easy for them to leave your company and move on to a different business where they feel like they can get some recognition for their work.
Appreciating the work that your employees do can be anything from a simple, verbal thank you as you walk past their desk, or arranging staff days out to have some fun and boost employee morale. There are many ways in which you can make your staff feel appreciated and needed, and it’s important to make sure that they don’t feel taken for granted or that their work goes unnoticed.
Be different
When it comes to running an attractive company to work for, being different from the rest is something that goes a long way. Certain benefits and bonuses your staff could get at any company, so it’s important to not just be like the rest and to implement strategies that will set you apart and make you stand out, therefore making you more attractive to your staff when it comes to choosing a company to work for.
Staff days out, prizes, and awards can all be taken into consideration when it comes to making sure your company stands out from the crowd.
How did you make your startup company an attractive place to work for your staff? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.