By Darla Mullner
June 18, 2009
It’s no secret that every business today, regardless of sector, is faced with tough financial decisions. To that end, how do companies retain employees when budgets are impacting salaries and benefits? On one hand, management might take the position that with uncertainty in the marketplace, employees, despite reduced compensation packages, will stay in a job no matter what. That’s the short side of the argument.
The larger picture is that the economy is sure to rebound and employees have long memories. One approach is to provide meaningful benefits coupled with real assistance for all employees in an effort to aid retention and provide for an enhanced quality of life.
When faced with a competitive marketplace, the demand for highly skilled workers in a particular industry such as health care is fierce. The most cost-effective and efficient strategy is to hire the best employees during the recruitment phase and retain them for as long as possible by offering benefits that will enhance their quality of life. These quality of life benefits encompass several areas and include financial assistance, health and well-being and work-life resources.
Financial Assistance
In addition to wages, perhaps your organization may allow employees to “assist” co-workers that are facing a difficult financial situation. If your organization is a nonprofit and has a foundation or charitable affiliation, consider whether or not a special employee-fund can be established. Annual or any time contributions can be made and “drives” such as a cookie, flower or the like can generate thousands of dollars. Another way that employees can assist a co-worker in need is through the donation of Paid Time Off (PTO) hours. This is especially useful when an employee is experiencing a serious medical condition and has exhausted their own PTO hours or if they need income for time off.
Large organizations should take advantage of the purchasing power of a big group through discounted services and coupons offered by national retailers and service industries. For example, employees might receive a 15 percent discount when using an on-campus or nearby daycare provider. Employees might be eligible to receive 20 percent off tax preparation services by a nationally known tax preparation service. Other reduced costs can be negotiated for employee entertainment such as amusement park fees and movie theatres.
Health and Well-Being
Most employers are well aware of continually rising health care costs. Disease prevention and fitness opportunities not only benefit the employee, but healthy team members use less health care services and costs can be better managed. Consider partnering with a local fitness center and offer free or discounted memberships, not only a great benefit, but also a great way to contribute to the bottom line.
Employees are people with lives outside the workplace. To ensure productivity and peak performance, offering a free employee assistance program (EAP) when someone needs guidance, counseling, referrals to local services or reliable professional care is often money well spent by the organization. Services include emotional health counseling and referrals, financial consultation including budgeting, credit assistance and college or retirement planning. The EAP also provides legal services including consumer and family law situations, traffic citations and estate planning.
Work-Life Assistance
Going beyond a paycheck can help make a difference in an employee’s life. What can your organization provide to enhance the lives of workers? For instance, consider offering all employees interest-free loans for the purchase of a personal computer. The incentive is that many employees in a large manufacturing firm or service organization may not have access to a personal computer on daily basis. As more communications and employee activities become electronic it becomes even more critical to offer ways to “wire” staff members to the organization. Partnerships with banks or credit unions are also desirable for employees who can take advantage of the option of checking and savings accounts as well as automatic payroll deduction for home and auto loans.
Helping employees hone skills that might be outside their normal job duties is also a great idea. Consider partnering with a local community or business college to offer staff free office software classes such as word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software.
The lifeblood of any business is its workforce. Today’s leaders must recognize that without talented, highly skilled and dedicated workers, many organizations would merely be buildings with equipment and furniture. Therefore, the best investment we can make for the future is the investment of a compensation package that provides employees with useful and meaningful benefits that enhance their quality of life.
Darla Mullner is human resources director at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, IL, a 183-bed hospital providing health and wellness services to the greater Fox Valley community. Rush-Copley was named one of Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in 2008. Mullner can be reached at [email protected].
