Unconventional perks help attract, retain employees

Attracting and keeping employees takes more than issuing a paycheck and offering health insurance. In fact, according to representatives of some of Springfield companies, much of the incentive isn't money related at all.

Today's workers are asking for the benefits of convenience and for signs of appreciation, and some businesses have heard them loud and clear.

Services

First USA offers an on-site fitness center for about $2 per paycheck, said Patricia Vitello, First USA Springfield site manager. Employees can also relax before or after work, or during breaks in a lounge area that includes pool tables, Ping-Pong tables, Fooz-Ball and TVs, Vitello said.

Workers enjoy a business-casual environment and "dress-down" days when they can wear jeans and sneakers every Friday. Additional dress-down days can be earned through good performance.

American National Property and Casualty (ANPAC) Insur-ance Sales, which employs more than 740 people, offers various on-site services as well. According to Jovanna Kellough, assistant vice president of human resources, these include chair massage; eye exams and free eyeglass adjustments; free pick-up services for dry cleaning and laundry; and free annual mammograms, osteoporosis screenings, and flu shots for employees and spouses. Yoga and weight-loss programs are available after work.

An employee assistance program provides eight free counseling services for employees on several topics: emotional well-being, stress management, financial management, and legal advice, Kellough said.

Training

ANPAC believes employee satisfaction stems in part from feeling they have the tools they need to perform well, Kellough said. "We provide training for basically anything that can help a person perform their job better," Kellough said.

ANPAC pays for courses up front, instead of reimbursing workers after satisfactorily com-pleting the course, Kellough said. "We pay for that up front, because we don't want the cost to hold back anyone from taking a course anywhere that is proven to be job related or would help them better perform or would offer them career enhancement."

Kellough said ANPAC also holds "monthly lunchbox lessons, in which the company pays for lunch and for a speaker to come in and talk on some personal development or professional development topic."

Kudos

Many businesses are focusing on the more intangible need and arguably the most common request for appreciation. McKesson Information Solu-tions Inc., which boasts a turnover rate of only 5.1 percent, holds special events, such as a chili luncheon or the annual "burger bang," according to Mona Haller, human resources manager at the company.

First USA conducts an employee portrait campaign, Vitello said. Each year, a number of exemplary employees are chosen, and each person's photograph is made into a poster with a statement the employee has made about the importance of customer service. A ceremony is held to unveil the posters, which are then displayed at the Springfield location and at six other sites across the country.

Leadership teams from First USA's home office in Wilming-ton, Del., come in and talk with the employees, take suggestions and employees feel heard, Vitello said.

"We say thank you' a lot," Vitello said. "Every opportunity, we thank the employees for their contribution. We thank them for the effort they put in."

At ANPAC, a team of representatives from each area is formed, Kellough said. Their "mission is to plan activities that bring people together for fellowship and fun and also to show appreciation to employees throughout the company for the work that they've done," Kellough said. For example, the team delivers a balloon bouquet to each employee on his or her birthday. Activities are partly funded by profits from vending machines throughout the building, Kellough said.

Cash

Money still talks. Many companies offer referral bonuses to aid in recruiting quality employees. First USA offers a $500 bonus to workers after the referred employee has completed 120 days, Vitello said.

Haller said that at McKesson, "We find that our employees are our best recruiters. Over half of those we hire here are employee referrals." They offer payouts if the person referred is hired and stays at least 90 days.

Cost

Companies of all sizes can offer employees incentives. Many of them cost very little, and "thank you" is free.

Other incentives may cost more, but Vitello says it's worth it. First USA spends an average of $10 per employee per month. With 850 employees, that's no small expense, Vitello said. But she says the return on that investment is "huge because the cost to recruit is extremely expensive."