When You Can't Give Raises: Little perks mean a lot to employees

摘要

Today's economic climate is making it tougher for businesses to raise the salaries and benefits of top-flight employees - Even so, many custom operators are finding that a few well-placed, low-cost gestures can go a long way toward keeping employees motivated and feeling appreciated until better times return. If s becoming more and more challenging to maintain the compensation program - competitive salary, profit sharing and 100% paid health insurance - he has traditionally offered his 30 M-time employees, says silage consultant Tim Tuttle, owner of Double T Feed in Fillmore, UT. "Last year it was especially tough," says Tuttle, who does custom chopping in six Western states. "Our expenses were up, and at the same time, our customers were going through very tough times and wanted to pay less for our services. We were straightforward with our employees, let them know that things were tight and that we would all have to step up and find ways to improve so that we could keep offering benefits."