What to Offer? Effective Group Benefits for Smaller Businesses

Naturally, you want to reward your staff for their hard work. Many companies choose to reward their employees with group benefits - things like paid vacation time, various insurance programs (life, health, dental, disability), paid sick days, paid maternity leave, pension and profit sharing plans, and education reimbursements.

These perks may be great, but perhaps your business isn't making the kind of income to provide such benefits as these. If you want to provide group benefits on a smaller scale, consider the following:

Offering....

...direct depositing. It's a small - but very convenient - benefit. Your staff will appreciate this benefit very much.

...a wellness incentive program. This could also save you money on health care for your employees, and it cuts down on employee sick days. You're basically paying or rewarding your staff to exercise and get healthier. Some businesses reward their employees with things like iPods or gift cards instead of money.

...parking privileges. Paying for your staff's parking and/or bus fare is a huge help.

...business cards. This sounds small, but the affect it will have on your employees will be huge. It does something to the self-confidence and the morale of your staff to see their own names and titles on business cards. Many card companies will give you discounts for multiple cards.

...community hours. Giving your employees a limit of regular pay hours in community service time can be very effective. If a staff member is interested in becoming involved in a volunteer event, have the company pick up the tab. This is good for both your staff and the community.

...company discounts. Sometimes the most obvious benefits are the ones you don't even think of: offering your staff discounts on the services or products that your business does will help them appreciate their jobs all the more.

Offering these small but effective benefits will help recruit good employees and retain them as well. In addition, a happy staff helps reduced turnover.

To learn more about group benefits, contact us today. We're the Acclaim Insurance Agency, based Oregon.