Before you run your next classified ad assuring candidates that you offer "competitive pay and benefits," you may want to do a double-check of the inventory in your goodie bags
of perks - particularly if you're competing with high-tech companies for PR talent. Deloitte and Touche recently surveyed CEOs in its "Technology Fast 500" list (the fastest
growing tech companies in the U.S.) to gain some insight into their recruiting strategies. Today's most popular offerings include flextime/job sharing (45%), telecommuting
privileges (42%), food service/meals/snacks (24%), on-site gyms (15%) and pets in the office (6%). But those are just the basics. The latest luxury packages also include:
- Game rooms (foosball, Ping-Pong, pool tables, etc.)
- Free home high-speed Internet access
- All expenses-paid vacations
- Free gym memberships
- Weekly massages
- Group tickets to movie premieres and other entertainment events
- Swanky company cars
- On-site corporate chefs
- Dry-cleaning & shoeshine service
- Ambassador programs that allow staffers to take work sabbaticals in other offices abroad.
Money still talks, though. A cool 98% of respondents in the survey said that bonuses and other forms of financial compensation remain central to their efforts to snag top
talent. For example, Ravisent Technologies Inc., which ranked ninth on the D&T "Fast 500" list, offers a 20% cash bonus to all employees when business goals are met or
exceeded.
(Holly Schultz, Deloitte & Touche, 408/920-2418, http://www.us.deloitte.com)