How To Attract Top Talent Without Top Dollars

Many Companies pay their employees well but cannot afford to throw big dollars at any single employee. In order to attract top talent without offering enormous salaries, use innovative benefits to attract staff. In Silicon Valley, some companies have gone as far as to allow employees to bring their

A few ideas that you might be less allergic to include:

• Move your company's headquarters to an easy commute location.
  If most of your employees live in the suburbs, why make them commute downtown every day? Take space in a suburban office park nearer to most of their homes. Locating your company near public transportation can also boost your recruiting efforts.
  
• Allow employees to take sabbaticals.
  Why not give your employees three to six months off once they have worked for your company for five years? A sabbatical policy will appeal to your recruits and will no doubt keep many employees from seeking other employment as they approach their fourth and fifth years with your company.
  
• Institute job sharing.
  There are a lot of talented people out there — successful and well-educated moms, experienced but older workers who aren't ready for retirement — who could be very useful to your company on a part-time basis. Pair them up, and you will bring invaluable experience to your company.
  
• Provide on-site day care.
  No one likes to leave their child across town, and let's face it, most workers face childcare issues. Give your company a leg up in the recruiting race by offering a strong, in-house childcare option.
  
• Offer the option to telecommute.
  Many workers don't like to waste time commuting to work. Let them work from home — at least part of the time.
  
• Offer flex time.
  Some people are early birds. Let them start work at 7:00 a.m. Allow the night owls to arrive at 10:00 a.m.

Small companies can get personal in the hiring process and assemble different compensation packages. By allowing workers to take off the time that they need and to sign up for the benefits that suit them, small companies can outfox large companies and attract top talent.