What Best Companies Do

Here are some of the things the companies often ranked as "best companies" by leading industry magazines do to attract and retain employees. Many of these programs and activities take little to no investment. But, they all can only happen when there's strong leadership at the company's helm.

Try some of these in your workplace this year:

Mentoring programs, especially for new employees
Volunteer opportunities/days
Lunches with the CEO or president
On-site wellness fairs
Pep rallies
Telecommuting programs
Summer picnics for employees and their families
Retention bonuses
Lending libraries
Unlimited sick days
Employee team sports after hours, such as bowling and baseball
On-site child care services
Awarding vacation time in exchange for community volunteering time
Employee pot-luck breakfasts
Monthly birthday parties
On-site fitness equipment
Frequent town hall meetings with upper management
Subsidized gym memberships
Leadership development programs
Time given to employees to spend on work related items outside their job description
Employee blogging programs
Suggestion boxes
Milk and cookie socials
Computer classes to prepare employees for higher-paying positions
Sabbatical programs

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