Want to boost the IT job salaries you offer? Use perks
In an ideal world, every business owner would be able to boost their IT job salaries to the moon. When that isn’t an option though, there is a solution. Perks.
These are the kind of unique employee benefits that your team will love you for. And that might keep your salary costs down at the same time.
With the tech sector being such a competitive market for talent, the benefits an employee gets can also draw them to one job – even over a better salary elsewhere:
Why use employee benefits to boost IT job salaries?
With the cost of doing business and the cost of living still on the rise, many people are looking for raises that their employers simply aren’t able to give them.
That’s where perks can come in. They can be more cost-effective than a straight-up higher salary, while also allowing you to:
-Attract the best talent
-Reduce staff turnover
-Keep your team happy and motivated
-Reward and show appreciation for a job well done
-Reduce errors and accidents caused by burnout
Unique perks that target IT staff
Here are some of the most sought-after employee benefits by people across the whole Information Technology sector:
1) Professional development and training
As a specialist IT recruiter, this is the number one thing that almost every candidate tells us they are looking for in a new position.
Give your people the opportunity to develop themselves and their (perhaps unrelated) skills if you want them to feel that even the most mundane data entry job is fulfilling.
2) Flexible working hours
The tech sector is known for offering many of its people flexible (and in some cases hyper-flexible) working hours.
If you don’t allow some wiggle room in when your team completes their working hours or takes holidays, you will almost certainly be losing talent to companies that do.
3) More holidays
It’s good to expect dedication and hard work from your team when they are on the clock. But burnout from overwork is a real issue that costs the UK economy billions of pounds every year.
Some of the world’s leading brands – Netflix, for instance – actively encourage their teams to take time off when they can. This keeps them fresh when it’s all hands to the grindstone time.
If you have this approach, and you allow flexible or remote working, there’s no reason you can’t ask them to do a few hours of work when they’re otherwise off.
This is the kind of pay-off that companies with great corporate cultures that give their teams true agency can expect.
4) Better health and mental health support
More and more businesses are offering private healthcare as an added bonus on top of a standard salary.
The number of business leaders who recognise the very real impact poor mental health can have on their team (not to mention their bottom line) is growing too.
The ways you can implement this sort of thinking don’t have to be hugely costly. Providing healthy meals in the workplace, for instance. Or education about good health and mental health.
You might also offer little extras like assistance with life challenges like moving house. Or assisted (or free) gym memberships. Healthy body. Healthy mind.
5) Wellness practices
Encouraging your team towards healthy food and exercise gets a look-in here too. So do activities like yoga or in-house massage stations.
Anything that bonds your team and helps them relax before they get back on with their day qualifies.
You might also offer free books via vouchers for local bookshops, e-books, or organised book clubs (you might be surprised how popular these can be).
6) Volunteering opportunities
Some of the happiest people in the world spend their time helping others. Enabling your team to volunteer or do other charitable work can be a great – and often overlooked – perk.
Millennials and Generation Z workers in particular (though it is by no means limited to these cohorts) prize opportunities to give back.
Make the most effective perk choice for your business
Which of these will be best for your business? In short, it depends on your team.
If you choose a perk that simply sounds good, you might meet with a lukewarm response. If you match your chosen perk with what your team are crying out for, it will have a much greater impact.
You might want to ask for feedback on potential options – or ask your IT recruitment company what the top candidates are asking them about.
For bonus points, match your chosen perk with your business values to strengthen your culture while simultaneously boosting any IT job salaries you offer.
Want to know what the best talent in tech is looking for in the jobs they choose?
Let’s talk. Ernest Gordon is a specialist IT recruitment agency. We have an extensive talent pool of the best professionals to refer to.
Reach out to us for a cost and commitment-free chat about your needs today.