Creative Benefits for Small Employers

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Gym: Studies for many years have shown the correlation between employee fitness and productivity, so encouraging employees to work out and have a healthy lifestyle only benefits the organization. There are two ways to provide this:
• If you have space available, purchase a treadmill and a few other workout items and let your employees use them. A DVD player can be used for workout DVD’s, and exercise mats, free weights and other items can be inexpensive to purchase.

• Provide a gym membership reimbursement to employees. Many gyms have “corporate” programs, providing discounted membership and gym fees when you have a minimum number of employees participating. One word of caution: select a gym that is attractive to most of your employees; for example, if your employees prefer a more relaxed, family atmosphere, the gym with a focus on hard, competitive workouts won’t be used by employees.

Dry Cleaning: There are dry cleaning companies that will pick up and deliver at the workplace. The time savings alone is valuable to employees, who don’t have to spend time driving to the cleaners.

Employee Wellness: Hire a physician to provide annual flu shots for employees who want them. These are inexpensive, and can save far more in sick leave and lost productivity. Engage a wellness expert to provide weekly or monthly suggestions for employees to improve wellness, and post wellness related resources for your employees, focused especially on smoking cessation and exercise programs. Spend $100 every couple of months to bring a chair massage therapist to yoursite and offer 5 – 10 minute massages free to employees.

Referral Fees: Determine how much it really costs you to recruit, screen and hire employees, and then establish a referral fee for employees that is paid after the referred person is hired and works for 90 days. This should be $50 or more, and can be paid with cash (which is taxable earnings!) or a gift certificate for a restaurant or favorite store. The employee who referred someone has a vested interest in referring people that you’re likely to hire, and they’ll help make sure the person performs well enough to complete their orientation period.

Employee Appreciation Day: Have a day where you buy lunch for staff, and provide free basic massages, manicures, or other fun things that will generate fun for employees. Some additional things YPP has done: Invited employees to a lunch time show of a clothing line, providing lunch and $100 per employee to spend on clothes, with their balance of purchases made through payroll deduction over several months; have monthly lunches to celebrate employees’ birthdays.

Keep a stock of movie tickets, $10 Starbucks cards, or other low-dollar certificates, and make it a practice to hand them out. Even a small financial contribution can make a big difference to an employee, and help them feel appreciated and valued

Corporate Responsibility: More employees today want to work for a company that is socially responsible. Encourage employees to volunteer time for social agencies or other non-profits, or devote 1-2 hours per month per employee for them to do non-profit work. These programs can be very rewarding for both the company and employees.

Tax preparation services: Bring in a tax preparation expert for a day during tax season, and save your employees time and headaches

Bring Your Pet to Work: If your office environment allows it, consider allowing pet owners to bring their pets to work with them occasionally. As a recent article in the New Hampshire Business Review noted many employees would work longer hours, or even take a pay cut, if they got to bring their dogs to work.

Most importantly, don’t forget to just say “thank you” to employees. Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated.