Why don’t we focus more on company benefits when trying to attract talent?
I don’t think we are the only firm who tend to leave the discussion of company benefits until mid-stage of the application process.
When we take a brief from a client we talk about the role, the company culture, the salary, the career development opportunities, the type of person they are looking for, but often the last thing to be discussed is the company benefits, when often these can be more attractive than everything else.
In fact, the benefits package can often be the determining factor between an offer being accepted or rejected so it’s an important part of the recruitment process, and usually a significant factor in whether a candidate will say yes or no to your offer.
In particular, we are finding that more and more Recruitment Consultants and Executive Search professionals are looking for places of work that not only offer flexible working and/or remote working options but who also have that mind set fully ingrained into their company culture. It is not enough to offer it; they want to feel that it is very much part of the working environment. A large proportion of the clients we are partnering with at Carlin Hall are able to offer this way of working but for some reason, we do not highlight it enough when advertising and talking to candidates despite it appearing on their list of benefits
Season ticket loans, car allowance, pension, and life assurance, child care vouchers and private health also continue to be important benefits for candidates. Again, most of our clients at Carlin Hall do offer all of the above as part of their overall employee package but we do not talk about this enough during the application process. In fact, we are working with clients who we feel offer some of the most exciting, new and innovative benefits in the recruitment and executive search industries today.
We have clients who will offer top billers a £500 bonus each quarter and send their highest billers to a top London restaurant and you do not have to get into the office until midday the next day. Smart phones, duvet days, career breaks at 50% pay, free flu jabs, free breakfast, fruit, massage (a free monthly 20 minute back and shoulder in the office), Bike to Work schemes, showers, annual top biller prizes, quarterly prizes, monthly cups, millionaires club, Wembley seats, long service awards, bursaries towards your own personal growth and annual cash back benefit schemes.
Some clients also provide free dental treatment, opticians, physio, chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropody, health and wellbeing and health screening services. Plus things like a Give as You Earn scheme, discounted gym membership, onsite reflexologists and a full health mot GP appointment. Finally, for the more active many clients are providing running clubs, rounders in the park and boot camp sessions. In fact, we have one client that offers ALL of the above.
If you are currently in process with any of the Consultants here at Carlin Hall please do ask them about a client’s benefits package, we usually have this information on record and if not it can be accessed quickly Needless to say we feel that all of our clients offer excellent benefits, but they are also adept at creativity, and can tailor make schemes to suit the individual. This is often a great way to help us get the right candidate over the finishing line.
To stay current, a company should always be assessing and re-assessing its available benefits. It is beneficial (excuse the pun) not only when hiring new staff, but of course, it helps retain top talent by making them feel more valued by their employer. A strong benefits package should always form a key part of a firm’s recruitment strategy.
Please get in touch for a confidential conversation regarding your job search. We can also tell you about some really exciting new types of benefits schemes that some of our clients are offering that are both innovative and relevant in securing top talent in today’s candidate-driven market place.
