The unemployment rate has now fallen to 3.6%, according to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While American workers welcome the news, it can be a challenge in this climate for hiring managers to stand out and continue attracting the best talent out there.
If your
business is struggling to fill open positions, and you’re not receiving the
quality applicants that you’d hoped for, take a look at your benefits package.
When was the last time you updated it?
The 2018 Employee Benefits Survey from the Society of Human
Resources Management (SHRM) showed that 34% of organizations beefed up their
benefits packages within the last year, and 72% said that retention was a
reason they did so. Over half cited attracting top talent as a main part of
their reasoning.
In our
current “war for talent” climate, creating a benefits package that can sell
itself to candidates will ensure you’re attracting that top talent. In fact,
your benefits package could be the differentiator that will give you the timely
competitive advantage you need. A CareerBuilder survey revealed that 32% of workers will be looking for a new job in
2019, 15% of whom cited lack of benefits or low compensation as the reason.
Here’s how
to create a high-impact benefits package that will help your business both
attract and retain top talent.
Understanding What’s Hot
Of course,
what’s most important to the top talent you’re looking for will depend on your
industry. For instance, not every job can offer remote work benefits—some
require a worker’s presence in the office.
However,
there are general trends as far as benefits go. The same SHRM survey mentioned
earlier also showed that benefits for parents have been increased in the last
few years, including paid maternity and paternity leave and adoption, foster
child, and surrogacy benefits.
According
to Jobvite’s 2018 Recruiter Nation
Survey, recruiters
say that the most effective benefits to attracting top talent are medical and
dental benefits (67%), followed by 401(k) benefits (55%).
Medical
and dental benefits may seem like a given, but making these benefits
competitive in themselves can upgrade your overall package. This is why it’s
important to shop around for the best price on packages that offer the
comprehensive care that your employees need. For retirement, many workplaces
offer a company-matching benefit that top talent will look for when considering
job offers.
The next
most important benefit offering discussed in the Jobvite survey was
work-from-home benefits. As mentioned above, this benefit may or may not be
possible for your given industry. However, with our current everything-digital
work culture, it’s worth considering making it happen, as 43% of recruiters
said this was the most effective benefit offering to attract and retain talent.
Offering a
flexible work arrangement or flexible schedule shows employees that their
work-life balance matters, and that the company wants to support them in
managing family obligations and other priorities outside of work.
The last
three benefits listed as top attractions in the Jobvite survey were casual
dress (36%), continuing education reimbursement (31%), and a signing bonus (28%).
Paid vacation is still considered a top benefit, and many top candidates will
negotiate the amount of days off they receive with the rest of their offer.
Another
hot topic in the benefits world is student loan help. According to data from
the Harvard Business Review, 48% of job seekers said that student loan assistance
would be taken into account when considering a job offer.
Americans
now owe around $1.57 trillion in college debt, as USA Today reported, yet only
one in 10 companies surveyed by the Employee Benefit Research Institute offer student loan repayment
subsidies or
consolidation or refinancing services for employees. This means that employers
willing to make this a priority will be ahead of their competitors when
attracting top talent.
These
examples show how any organization can construct a benefits package that checks
off the list of what the modern candidate is looking for.
Building a Comprehensive Package
Once
you’re aware of what candidates want, how do you begin the reconstruction
process?
1. Research the competition
First, assess
the trends within your industry. Start by researching the job ads that
competitors are posting, or use a tool like Glassdoor to view salary trends for
a given job title or company. Understanding what your competitors are offering
is crucial to creating a competitive advantage.
You may
also learn about other company’s benefits through interviews with top-level
candidates. They may ask for a certain amount of vacation days, a salary level,
or 401(k) contribution because they’re receiving it in their current position.
But as
ApplicantPro points out, your top recruiting competition may not be the same as your
business competition. Companies hiring individuals with the same qualifications,
and not necessarily a company offering the same services as yours, may be more
of your hiring rival.
2. Use data in strategic planning
to increase ROI
Keep up on
the latest research about what employees want, in addition to what competitors
are providing. Each year, human resources organizations release surveys that
reflect the latest trends, such as the surveys mentioned in this article from
the SHRM and the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
According
to the SHRM, planning benefits strategically based on specific data
can help your company receive the greatest return on investment. This is
important, because benefits aren’t cheap—they make up about a third of
compensation costs (32%). When companies strategically plan benefits for
recruitment and retention, the overall performance of the company is above
average at 58%, versus 34% from organizations that don’t plan strategically.
3. Understand what drives
motivation
Employees
are more likely to feel motivated and satisfied by their work if
they’re fully supported with adequate pay and benefits. This means making
enough money, but it also means being able to receive high-quality healthcare
services and to take time away from work to relieve stress and enjoy their
personal lives.
This is
why it’s also smart to offer a comprehensive wellness program that offers
discounted gym memberships, for example, or mental health services, along with
a good healthcare package. Over half of employees surveyed by the SHRM said
that healthcare, paid leave, and flexible benefits were very important to job
satisfaction.
Remember
to approach the construction of your benefits package with people in mind, not
just the bottom line.
4. Ask your employees for feedback
To better understand
what would entice employees to stay at your company, why not ask them?
Implementing
some kind of survey system can be instrumental in building a benefits plan that
meets the expectations of employees. Just the gesture alone can show workers
that you are considering their needs and desires, which can lead to greater
feelings of satisfaction and recognition.
Consider
holding discussions about benefits where employees can make comments and ask
questions, and invite them to offer their opinions about their current package.
5. Continue adapting
During
interviews with top candidates, one strategy that could help you succeed is
being open to what they’re looking for, and asking them what their expectations
are. This can not only open your eyes to what top talent is looking for, but it
can also help you revamp your benefits offerings for your current
employees.
Updating
your benefits package is not likely to be something you can do once and be done
with. Preferences change year over year in the realm of recruitment, as new
technologies are introduced or new working trends pick up, so remember that
your benefits plan needs to be revisited and adapted regularly. For example,
the gig economy and the surge of freelancing has made flexibility and remote
work more popular and desirable for employees across industries.
6. Embrace new technologies
Finally, recruiters and hiring managers should embrace new
technologies that can help them create a strategic benefits plan for
recruitment and retention.
According to the Jobvite survey mentioned above, almost half
of recruiters say that artificial intelligence (AI) and automaton will improve
their jobs and will allow them to focus more on strategy. Streamlining tasks
can open up a lot of time that can be used on research and data analyzation
that will lead to better benefits planning that’s focused around attracting
talent.
Using an online benefits portal is another way to increase
employee satisfaction and streamline the benefits process. According to the
SHRM, 32% of HR professionals say that an online portal is very effective as a
communication method with employees. A portal can help the HR team deliver
messages while emphasizing the value of benefits to employees.
Key Takeaways
Winning the war for top talent takes research, planning, and
strategizing, and may not happen overnight. But it’s more important than ever
to focus on benefits offerings as the unemployment rate continues to drop and
the recruitment competition heats up. Remember to:
- Stay abreast on what’s hot in the
world of HR and recruiting - Research your competition
- Base benefits planning decisions on
specific data to ensure Return on Investment - Think about what drives employee
motivation and satisfaction - Survey employees and candidates to
find out what would excite them beyond a high base salary - Continue to adapt your plan
- Integrate new tools and platforms
that will streamline processes for both you and employees
If you show both top candidates and current employees that benefits are important to the organization and do the research to offer what they really want, you’ll be well on your way to creating a high-impact benefits package that will set you apart from competitors.
