Creating An Employee Benefits Program Without Breaking The Bank

Every business owner knows how much employees love perks. No wonder, offering the right mix of benefits in addition to the prevailing remuneration is the key to attracting the best talent for your organization. At the same time, providing them these extras boosts employee loyalty and retention because it shows how much you value and appreciate your workforce. Going the extra mile with employee benefits, therefore, makes sense. However, you need to consider the fact that they can elevate your operational costs to a significant extent. The best approach would be a balanced one, which can be achieved by creating an employee benefit program that engages your employees but fits into the budget as well. Here are some strategies that can help in this context. 

 

Establish the goals of the program

Even before you start creating a benefits program for your workforce, you need to decide its objective in the first place. Having clear goals keeps you focused and realistic when it comes to choosing the set of perks to offer. The objectives may vary from organization to organization. You may aim to have a program that attracts and retains highly qualified people or one that makes your organization stand apart in the market for potential job seekers. Compliance with federal and state laws is another goal that you may want to achieve. The goal of the program has a significant impact on the way you design it in the first place. For example, regulatory compliances decide the kind of perks that it should absolutely include.  

 

Have a budget in place

Besides having a clearly defined objective for the program, it is vital to have a budget in place right at the start. A well-planned budget can actually drive the initiative in the right direction and make a business owner more confident about implementing it. When creating a budget, remember to pay only what you can afford. Realistically speaking, you should not even try to compete head-to-head with the bigger companies in your domain. You need not worry about that because even employees would expect only as much as you can afford to provide. Still, it is important to know what the competitors of your size are offering and keep pace with them so that you can boost your talent acquisition and retention initiatives.  

 

Know the essential and optional benefits

Once you are sorted out with the goals and budget for your employee benefits plan, the next obvious step would be to decide a mix that ensures workforce satisfaction. When you provide benefits for the employees, you will have to stick to the compulsory ones to start with. These are the ones that are regulated by the federal and state laws. Further, there are some optional perks that you can provide based on industry trends, workforce expectations, and competitor offerings. You need to come up with an attractive mix of employee benefits that fit into your budget. Collaborating with a consultant is a good idea as they can suggest a tailor-made solution right within your budget.  

 

Highlight special perks

There are certain intangible benefits that you cannot necessarily list in your job ad, but they definitely have the potential to attract the best candidates to join your organization. For example, flexible working hours and telecommuting are some special perks that are not measurable in terms of money but can have a far-reaching impact when it comes to enticing the best talent. Don’t miss out on such valuable perks and highlight them whenever and wherever you can. The truth is that they are as important as the tangible benefits on the employee benefits list. 

 

Draw a holistic compensation picture

Your employees will be able to appreciate the benefits you offer fully only if you give them a holistic picture of their annual compensation. Make sure that the statement shows their annual wages in addition to any other benefits and perks translated into a dollar amount. This picture will let them understand the value of the hidden paycheck that they are getting by being a part of your organization. With this clarity, the workforce will probably be satisfied with the benefits program and you will not have to overspend to increase their satisfaction levels.  

A result-focused employee benefits program renders a happy and satisfied workforce for your organization and opens the opportunity to tap the best talent. Still, staying within a budget is important when it comes to designing and implementing this program. A clear roadmap and smart thinking can help you devise one that works without breaking the bank.