If you’re looking to fill a gap in your team, you’re going to want the best. But to get the best, you need to entice the best. So how do you attract, and better yet, keep, skilled staff? Take a look at our suggestions.

Benefits and bonuses

Let’s face it, once the potential employee knows that the job description is relevant, their eyes are going to skip directly to the employee benefits. That’s what they are going to do for you, but what are you going to do for them? Benefits are a great way to stand out, because once they have decided they want the job, the thing that they will remember through the process is the extra perks to it. 

There are various ways you can offer benefits. You can add a touch of luxury with a gym membership or offer something practical like a dental plan. The best part is that you can offer as much or as little as you want. A good example is that you can offer a company car or simply mileage. 

The option of bonuses is a great incentive to attract skilled staff. They will know that they can get a boost if they work hard, doubling as a motivator.

However, keeping track of all your employees’ benefits can feel like herding cats. Everyone might have different benefits to suit them and their position, and bonuses based on targets can get sporadic. Consider the Zest HR benefits platform to manage everyone and their individual needs in the one space. 

Flexible hours

Nowadays, the best benefit an employee can get is a better work/life balance, so most likely the employees looking at your job description is looking for the terms “work from home”, “hybrid working” or “flexible hours” or a combination of all three.

Flexible working hours means your employees can do what they need to do but work it around their lives rather than trying to work lives around a nine to five. Nowadays it’s considered the biggest perk you can give because it indicates a better attitude in the company than previous sweatshop ideals. It says you see your employees as people, not paid slaves. 

Prioritize company culture

Employees have been through it. They all have their stories of the manager from Hell, the coworker that made every day a misery, or the way they were ostracized from the rest of the team. They want to know that the next place will at least try not to be like that, which is why it’s important to make mention of your company culture when writing about your company. Make sure it’s clear that you have a diverse and equal environment where employees are safe. But stay away from terms like “we are a family”. Too many bad apples have ruined that phrase and it’s become a cliché and a red flag. 

Offer development opportunities

An employee doesn’t want to feel stuck where they are. It will be demotivating and might cause a drop in productivity. If they can’t expand their skills or gain relevant experience, they will stagnate and wonder why they are bothering. 

So, offer them chances to grow. You can offer them training internally or externally. Offer to sign them up for a course in a new qualification, or shadowing someone in another department. Not only will this gain you a more experienced and skilled employee, but you’ll instil a sense of loyalty in them that means they will stay in your corner for longer. 

Conclusion

Gaining a skilled employee is one thing but keeping them is quite another. You will need your actions to back up your words. If you put in the job description that you have a good work culture, make sure your culture backs that. If you promise experience and skills, make sure you offer experience and skills.