When it comes down to hiring people in your business, you need to hire the right, most experienced business owners look to offer their people the best possible benefits. Let’s be honest: no one works for free. People also don’t work ‘for the vibe’ or ‘to be a part of a family’. It’s nice that businesses say that, but it’s not the reality. The reality is that people work for their money because they need money to live. They get as much excitement from their jobs and their careers as possible, to feel fulfilled and happy. The thing is, no one does that for free. 

People look for the right benefits for the businesses that they work for. They look for the right people to support them and they look for an employer that appreciates that. No one wants to work for an employer who has nothing to offer, and you need to be smart about what you offer. From stock research tools to offer your employees the chance to invest in your business, to offering the right healthcare benefits, you need to think about what you can truly offer your people. It’s so much easier to maintain a happy and talented staff over time if you are keeping it real with them.

Let’s take a look at eight amazing benefits you can offer your employees when they come on board. 

1. Food. People will always respond well to food being offered to them. They spend up to 8 hours a day in your business, and that takes a lot of time, effort and energy. The least that you could do is offer to feed them from time to time. Whether you go for free drinks (not just water, tea and coffee – think vending machine for free!) or you go buying lunch a few times a week for the whole office, food is one of the best benefits that you can offer to staff. People really respond positively to gestures like this one.
2. Stock options. We talked about stock research tools, but if you can offer employees stock options after a certain length of time with the company, you can offer them a successful and solid future. Your people deserve the chance to have an investment and if they have invested their time in your business, it’s one of the best things that you can give back.
3. Flexibility. You might not have considered it before the pandemic, but flexible working time is something that you can work on for your employees. You can offer working from home options, splitting time between the office and their home. If they have kids, offer flexibility around school runs and appointments. Give your staff the chance to work their work around their day and trust that they will get it all done to the right deadlines. This is a benefit people want because it probes that you are an employer who cares about their lives outside work.
4. Money. The obvious benefit – a tax free bonus. If you have staff doing well, offer cash bonuses not ‘paycheck’ bonuses that get eaten by extra tax and never actually work as a bonus. There are so many benefits to giving a bonus but the best one is that people will always appreciate the extra lining in their pockets. 
5. A raise. Every year, offer your employees a raise. If you have the money and your company is a success, it’s not just your effort. It’s because of each and every individual. It doesn’t have to be thousands per year, but if you can offer a few more dollars an hour, then do it. Let your staff see that you value their time and experience with your business. 
6. Insurance. Dental insurance, health insurance, life insurance and more can be excellent benefits to give the people working for you. If you can foot the bill for your employees, you’re going to be able to offer something that they truly want. This benefit can help you to hire the best people for your business, and if you can offer more to your staff, do it! 
7. Paid time off. You can give people the requisite annual leave, but make your company one that takes the lead from other countries that offer more time off. Throw in birthdays off and mental health days with a cap of ten paid mental health days per year – each of these benefits will be appreciated by all in your business.
8. Casual dress. The last benefit you should offer is the chance for people to be comfortable. Everyone wants to work for a company that puts their comfort first!