Early attachments are fundamental in helping children develop through the early learning goals, and some would argue that high staff turnover can have a particularly damaging effect on these attachments. When key members of staff decide to move on, it can also dampen team morale. Here, we’ve put together 7 low cost benefits to make your business an attractive place for employees to work:
1. Offering discounted gym membership
Offering employees discounted rates of membership at a local gym or leisure centre demonstrates that you, as an employer, are interesting in the wellbeing of your staff. After initially setting this up, it costs very little to a business but is very beneficial for employees. Regular exercise will also help team members manage the high stress levels associated with working in a busy setting and help to improve their overall health.
2. Providing regular non-work training activities
Many staff members would be interested in taking evening classes to find out more about things like healthy eating, financial planning or personal training. You may be able to offer your workplace as a space for local businesses to educate or encourage people to try their services in the evenings.
3. Giving staff their birthday off
Giving staff their birthday off (as an additional day off, not as part of their standard holiday allocation) is a wonderful thing to do for employees. Who truly wants to work on their birthday, anyway? This is a very attractive perk!
4. Starting a cycle scheme
Starting a cycle scheme is an easy way to encourage your employees to stay active, whilst also reducing the harmful impact that commuting by car has on the environment. A government-backed scheme, called Cyclescheme, enables employers to loan bikes as a tax-free benefit, saving staff 25-42%. Employers also enjoy National Insurance savings of up to 13.8% by taking part in the scheme.
5. Providing free food/drinks
Offering free tea and coffee is a great perk for employees; one which is standard in many companies. You could also allocate one day per month to offer free fruit for everyone (Free Fruit Fridays!), which will help encourage healthy eating choices and boost morale.
6. Offering discounts from local businesses
By asking around, you may be able to offer your employees a whole host of discounts from generous local companies. Everything from money off car MOTs to haircuts or even stays in local hotels. Deals like this only add to the attractiveness of working for your company in the long term, and help save employees money on everyday expenses.
7. Allowing staff access to a home technology scheme
If a company isn’t in a position to give their staff substantial payrises, offering them the chance to buy cheap phones and tablets through a salary sacrifice scheme can be very beneficial. Employees are able to have their gadget straightaway, whilst paying the company back through payroll over a set period. This kind of employee-paid benefit has become very popular over the past few years.
Whilst pure passion is the main driver for practitioners going into childcare, it makes such a difference to work for a company who provide a rainbow of different benefits for their staff. And, the good news is, these perks don’t have to cost your business dearly! With a little creative thinking, you can offer a host of attractive benefits to help keep staff happy and encourage long-term loyalty.