It’s most definitely a job-seeker’s market right now, especially in the trades where there’s a labor gap and extra high demand for talented craftsmen! In order to attract the best talent, you need to be offering compelling benefits and perks along with good pay. In fact, there is a trend towards focusing on benefits instead of pay, due to employee demand. About four out of every 5 (or 79%) of employees would prefer new or additional benefits versus higher pay, and that percent is even higher with the younger employees (age ). Here are some of the new trends in benefits that are alluring to your craftsmen:
Financial Wellness
Sixty (60) percent of employees report their biggest stress comes from money worries! Twenty-five (25) percent of employees indicated they wanted a financial wellness program with an unbiased counselor from their employer, and research shows this is attractive to all age groups and generations. There are a variety of resources and online tools such as apps and programs to help your craftsmen pay off debt, build savings for a vacation, and better manage their money.
Flexible Schedules
It’s no surprise that flexible schedules and/or working from home is an important perk for employees, and now it’s easier than ever to do so because of online tools and other technologies. Especially in the trades where craftsmen can be hired temporarily or by project. This allows your team to have more autonomy and control over their lives – whether they want to schedule their own vacations, help with a sick parent, or simply avoid a long commute when it’s not necessary. The bonus is that it gives your craftsmen a sense of pride and ownership in their job, and they become more loyal to you!
Family Planning
Couples are getting married and having children later in lives, which has increased the need for fertility treatment. Paid maternity/paternity leave and fertility services attract and retain employees. Egg harvesting or freezing, in-vitro fertilization treatments, paid paternity leave and emergency/sick childcare are just a few of the family-friendly benefits growing as part of the larger trend to expand work-life balance policies.
Pet Care
Pet ownership is huge here in the Pacific Northwest, so it makes sense to look at ways to help your craftsmen create opportunities to enhance this lifestyle. Many employers allow their employees to bring their pet to work, or they might also have pet-sitting services on hand for their team. Plus health insurance for pets is growing in popularity – and in fact fifteen percent of companies already now offer some form of pet health insurance!
Mental Health
About 25% of U.S. workers have been diagnosed with depression! This new awareness of how many people suffer from mental illness has encouraged many employers to offer related benefits like mental health treatment or health days off. The American Psychiatric Association determined that 40 percent of them take an average of 10 days off from work each year because of their mental illness!
Tech Benefits
Now that there are so many new innovations and data available, the use of technology is changing the industry. That means that you’ll need craftsmen that can use new tools, as well as understanding the skills of their trade. With the use of mobile phone apps on the job, some employers are now subsidizing some or all of their team’s cell phone bills, while others are giving options to take home tablets or work computers for personal use. And of course training and education is always a popular way to both improve your craftsmen’s skills and benefit from the new knowledge they can apply on the job.
Unique to your culture!
Every company has a unique culture and team of people working there. The key is to offer perks that are a good fit for YOUR employees – so continue to dialogue with them about what is important to them. Be creative and offer things that other companies don’t! Is Monday is a big prep day for your team and they’re often eating at their desk? Offer to host take-out lunch for them every week on that day! Are they out in the cold a lot? Reward their hard work with a warm tent/station on the jobsite, where they can take a break and enjoy gourmet coffee and snacks
It’s not about offering the most number of perks that you can, it’s about offering ones that they care most about. That might mean you need to cut back on other perks they’re not using in order to give them ones that are a better fit! Madden Industrial Staffing is here to answer your questions and help steer you to offer benefits and perks that will attract the best in the trades. Give us a call today!
