Can Startups Do Anything To Sweeten The Deal For Their Employees?

April 28, 2017

Startups have a dilemma. They’ve got to make money fast, but they don’t usually have the resources to pay the big bucks to get the people they really want. As a result, they find themselves in a desperate position.
It’s a problem that has faced many companies, particularly tech companies. How to incentivise people to work hard and commit to the company when the financial rewards are relatively small? Yes, there’s the promise of big rewards in the future, but most startup employees are more interested in the here and now, not what the CEO thinks might happen five or six years down the road.
Recently, a post on http://www.makemoneyinlife.com highlighted the fact that many startups fail at the first hurdle because they don’t take the needs of their employees into account. Key people start leaving, and the whole enterprise begins to fold. So what can be done about it?
Create Cheap Group Events
 
Eventbrite is a company that provides a service that allows people to organise events over the internet. Their software does everything, from advertising the event to accepting payment. But that’s not what makes the company stand out from an employee perspective according to an article posted on http://www.bizjournals.com. What’s important to them is the company’s emphasis on cheap group events. The company knows that working in a stuffy office isn’t ideal. And so right from the outside, it organised things like group bike rides, breakfasts and walks in the park. The great thing about these activities is that they are either cheap or free, but at the same time, they help bring the whole team together and break up the day.
Bring Pets To The Office
Another thing that tech startups have started allowing is bringing pets into the office. For years, office managers have rejected employee requests to bring their cat or their dog to work with them for fear that animals will cause chaos. But they’ve since learnt that this is something that their employees really appreciate, especially if they have a dog with separation anxiety. Eventbrite is leading the charge, allowing its staff to bring their pets to the office once per week.
Organised Shopping Trips
 
Just a couple of years ago, Pinterest was a relatively small company. It’s since grown, however, into a global force, taking the internet by storm. One of the ways that the company attracted the best people was by offering them free outings to the shops. In particular, employees are taken on regular trips to the Apple store to fawn over the latest brushed aluminium products from the company. Though it might seem like a minor perk, Pinterest had done its research and knew that its staff were all huge Apple fans.
Organic Nuts, Snacks And Drinks
Tech startup Stumbleupon took an interesting approach to keeping employees happy in the early days. It always keeps its kitchen full of delicious and healthy treats staff could help themselves to whenever they wanted. Options included nuts, dried fruit snacks and organic drinks. The healthy snacks all fit in well with the company’s wellness programme, designed to make employees feel happier and be healthier.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

Learn podcasting
in your own time

Listen to the
free podcast

The free, thrice-weekly show that brings you podcast education, industry insights & straight-talking reactions to podcasting news. This short-form show typically runs for between 7 and 15 minutes and releases every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Usually a solo show, every now and then, the show features expert podcast industry guests and release bonus episodes as the podcast industry continues to grow and develop.