What Incentives (Besides Money) Can You Use to Attract Top Talent?

Most employers assume that if they want to get someone who’s really good at their job, they have to be willing to pay them more and give them more benefits. They assume that this is the only way to get someone who is at the top of their field.

And although it definitely helps if you’re willing to give a person more money, the fact is that money isn’t everything. There are other things that people are looking for—things that will help to improve their standard of living.

  • Work Pressure: Employees might just want a comfortable place to work where they are not constantly being driven by deadlines.
  • Work Conflict: Employees might want a conflict-free workplace where people are not saying unpleasant things to each other or behind each other’s backs.
  • Free Time: Employees might want more time to spend with their family. They might want more free time to focus on personal projects.
  • Flexible Timings: Some people work better in the morning while others work better in the evening. So they might want to have flexible timings which will make it possible for them to sleep in or do other things that they want to do.
  • Creativity: They might want the option to be more creative at work and come up with new ideas that they can work on. Nowadays, there are workplaces which allow people to spend 20 percent of their work time on new projects that they’ve come up with. This helps a lot in increasing job satisfaction. Even if the project doesn’t necessarily work out, it gives the person the feeling that they could do something different and that their creativity is appreciated.
  • Casual Workplace: Then there are people who might really want to come in to work dressed casually. If this is an option you can give them, they would appreciate it.

What a person is looking for at work isn’t set in stone. It varies from person to person. So it’s a good idea to consult your employees about what they’re looking for. And if you’re in the process of hiring new people who are at the top of their field, then find out what they’re looking for during the interview and work out a way for them to have it. They’ll appreciate it more than that increase in their salary.