Pole-dancing perks

FREE ëlife managersí, wish-granting cheques and pole-dancing club membership are just some of the innovative ways employers in the region are recruiting and retaining staff.

Research into 500 Northwest firms by commercial property company, MDA, also found that the number of businesses offering more conventional benefits such as pensions, insurance and health schemes, gym membership deals, crches and mobile phones swelled by 47% in the last three years.

The results show that larger firms arenít the only ones offering staff perks, although they are more likely to use added benefits as a marketing tool to attract personnel.

75% of businesses with less than 15 employees said they too recognised that keeping staff happy by treating them to perks like staff parties, regular rounds of drinks, and flexible working hours, makes good business sense.

Seven in ten employers claimed investment in employee benefits has helped them attract and retain new staff

Companies with official or contractual benefits packages fared best when it came to attracting new staff. The statistics show an average increase of 40% in the number of candidates accepting job offers since the introduction of a scheme.

Meanwhile, staff turnover among those companies offering some sort of employee benefit was reported to have fallen by an average of 35%.

Mark Evans, Managing Director at MDA, said: ìMany of the businesses we spoke to expect a lot from their staff in terms of long working hours and ambitious sales and income targets, but recognised the need to reward their hard work and promote company loyalty.

ìSome of the responses we collected did raise a few eyebrows, but a significant number of employers reported that candidates want to know what else is on offer other than their basic salary before accepting a position. It seems juicy stock options and executive housekeepers are no longer the preserve of the City set. Staff benefits have become valuable bargaining tools for all shapes and sizes of business.î