When you are considering an offer, look beyond the compensation and vacation to the perks employers are using in a competitive job market aimed at wooing top talent. Employers are now faced with four generations at work with each one being attracted to different perks.
In order to meet the needs of a diverse workforce, companies are recognizing the need to offer a broad range of benefits outside of compensation. Last year, Apple updated its perks and will continue to create new ones to serve and retain its workforce. Denise Young Smith, head of HR for Apple spent time surveying 98,000 Apple employees with the intent of focusing on benefits that employees want.
The desire to take care of employees is a priority that’s not taken lightly. For example, Apple built a new state-of-the-art wellness center, a medical health facility designed with employees in mind. Instead of a traditional waiting room, it has a reception room where the wait time is five minutes. That’s a benefit that’s hard to overlook.
A culture that cares and wants to retain its employees is part of Google’s corporate values, as it goes beyond the scope of traditional benefits to integrating a philosophy of how it views employees and their families. Happy employees correlate to a happy environment and productivity.
Large employers tend to offer a diverse range of perks, but don’t overlook the benefits of working for a small business. While smaller companies might forgo custom-built on site wellness centers, they may instead offer discounts on gym memberships or offer a faster career path toward a leadership position.
Small companies woo candidates by offering compensation packages such as employee equity, large bonuses and help with health care offerings where the company passes along medical insurance savings to you. The culture of small businesses often reflect a family atmosphere where the dress code is less formal and can be more adept to offering a flexible work schedule.
One of the attractions to small companies is the ability to acquire more responsibility at a faster pace that will enrich your skills. As employers become more competitive for needed skills the exposure to more decision making opportunities becomes attractive when growing your career.
While compensation is definitely a factor to consider, it’s not the only aspect in making your work life enjoyable. Working for a company large or small that cares for their employees and values your contributions are important factors to contemplate when accepting an offer.
Employers that woo candidates tend to see the value in taking care of their workforce balanced with conducting business in a win-win style, and that makes for a happy working relationship.
What is the best benefit an employer offered you that helped you accept their offer?
