With the general public still cautious of spending and as a result the house market continuing to move slowly, for smaller to medium sized businesses within the moving industry, streamlining measures are likely to remain necessary.
By James Malia, Head of P&MM Employee Benefits.
However, with good staff at the heart of a businesses success, it is still possible to attract the best workers - at little or no extra cost. Employee benefits packages that are offered by big businesses help to attract good employees and today it is no longer the case that the best benefits are reserved only for the domain of large companies.
Whilst many smaller employers believe they will incur significant costs if they offer employee benefits, the reality is that the more benefits an employer offers, the more savings the company can generate for its business and employees.
Moving forward
Today, attracting and retaining staff may not seem to be high on the agenda within the moving industry due to the economy and job market being static.
Yet as the market slowly improves and employment grows, businesses need to ready themselves for these changes. Research from The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) predicts that more than a third of employees plan to leave their current employment when the job market lifts, creating a bill of around £63 billion for employers to foot.
Consequently, to help retain good workers and be competitive in attracting new staff, employers should introduce a strong employee package well before the market turns upwards. Investment in staff is an investment in the business, since motivated and valued workers are more likely to be loyal and dedicated, with strong morale and reduced sickness and absenteeism.
Motivational benefits
With pay rises and bonuses increasingly rare, smaller sized enterprises often miss out on the best staff, either by not attracting them in the initial stages or by losing them to those businesses which do.
Companies can increase the value of the overall package offered to staff by including employee benefits to help retain existing staff and attract new talent. Businesses are able to effectively give staff a pay rise, yet one which is cost neutral to the organisation and could even save it money thanks to the National Insurance (NI) savings.
As many smaller employers often overlook employee benefits due to perceptions of them being too expensive or not relevant to their staff, invaluable opportunities to help staff save money, and also generate employer savings may be missed. But that has changed recently.
The range of employee benefits available is now extensive and therefore ideal for all, regardless of personal interests. Products and schemes available include corporate gym memberships, employee discount schemes, travel clubs, and even new salary sacrifice schemes that offer reduced priced smart phones or state-of-the-art laptops, all of which could make a noticeable difference to an employees’ lifestyle.
Furthermore, companies can increase the savings generated for its business and its employees by boosting the number of benefits offered. Many employers are surprised to learn that delivering employee benefits costs them little or nothing to implement, meaning the advantages are far reaching.
Counting the benefits
The recent emergence of low cost, off-the-shelf reward and benefit solutions designed to suit smaller organisations and emerging businesses mean that rather than trying to manage the different component benefits – which can prove surprisingly costly and time-consuming – a packaged employee benefits solution can ensure that benefits become accessible. New ranges such as Essentials now mean that smaller sized organisations have flexible access to different levels of employee benefits, in addition to the advantage of monthly payment plans and no long-term contracts or set-up fees.
A competitive employee benefit package has significant power not only to attract the best, but also to retain the best and therefore impact on a company’s chance of survival.
For further information please visit: www.pmmemployeebenefits.co.uk/theessentialsrange/