Small Business Shared Interest Group

As a small business owner, I am constantly trying to find ways to compete, especially against the big guys!  It's critical that I be able to attract motivated, hardworking employees who put their passion and brains into their job.  It can be tough when you are an employer of 50 individuals and the career ladder you offer only has a couple of rungs!  I'd love to hear some creative thoughts for benefits that my small business can offer to be able to attract and retain the employees we so desperately need!  Here are some things we've done so far, to get your creative juices moving!

Family culture, which is important to so many.  We get that your kids get sick, you want a happy place to spend your time, and you want to feel as welcome at work as you do at home.  We hire friends and family, to help you feel at home.  It's actually been a company benefit, as well, to hire friends and family.  We find they work hard not to disappoint those they work with.  Free food, yes, I said free food!  We want you to love our product (popcorn), so we want you to eat it.  When you are at work, you can eat all you want.  When you go home, you take your popcorn along with an employee discount!

Well, consider the idea generation of this post over, and not tag...you are it!  What employee benefit ideas do you have for me because I am wide open to ideas!  

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Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
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Great post Jan, I can't wait to see the unique responses to this one! 

My company is all about creating a team-based culture, it helps us both attract and retain talent.  Summer picnics are great for team building, the past two years have included field day  team-based activities.  We sponsor games during work hours too (bingo, name that tune style games, trivia, etc.). Our lunch room has a pool table, foosball and shuffleboard.  We also offer Friday afternoons off between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which is always a big hit.

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Amanda Bernard CMA,CPA,CFE
Director/Manager
Douglassville PA
United States
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Amanda,  I love the idea of creating moments that build teamwork and also provide some relief from the stresses of the day.  There isn't many things more efficient than a team that works well together and supports one another.  

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Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-17-2024 09:59 PM
From: Amanda Bernard
Subject: Looking for Creative Employee Benefits!!!!

Great post Jan, I can't wait to see the unique responses to this one! 

My company is all about creating a team-based culture, it helps us both attract and retain talent.  Summer picnics are great for team building, the past two years have included field day  team-based activities.  We sponsor games during work hours too (bingo, name that tune style games, trivia, etc.). Our lunch room has a pool table, foosball and shuffleboard.  We also offer Friday afternoons off between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which is always a big hit.

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Amanda Bernard CMA,CPA,CFE
Director/Manager
Douglassville PA
United States
------------------------------

Great post Jan! A common initiative I have seen is Wellness Wednesdays at workplace, focusing on employee well-being. This can include short workshops or mindfulness sessions aimed at stress reduction, better sleep, and work-life balance. Activities like group yoga, meditation sessions, wellness challenges and mental health check-ins would work great!

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Rahul Gopal CMA
Analyst
Karlskrona
Sweden
------------------------------

🌟 Fantastic post, Mary (Jan) Baird @Mary Baird ! 🌟 
It’s clear that you’ve already made your workplace an incredible place for employees by fostering a family culture and offering unique perks like free popcorn 🍿 (what a delicious awesome perk!). It shows you're committed to driving your business and are doing so conscientiously.

That said, it’s important to continuously innovate, especially as a small business trying to compete with larger companies . I’d love to build on @Amanda Bernard's  and @Rahul Gopal's great suggestions and add a few creative thoughts to your list! 👏

Top 10 Benefits for Your Ultra-Unique-Luxury Popcorn Business:

1. Flexible Scheduling: Many employees value work-life balance. Allowing for flexible hours or remote work for certain roles (like back-office operations) can make a huge difference. AI can help streamline those back-office tasks, as suggested by @Ahmad Jumah, an expert in accounting and audit - think automating inventory, payroll, or reporting tasks! 📊🤖
2. Popcorn Innovation Days: Dedicate one day each quarter where employees collaborate on creating new popcorn flavors, packaging, or even marketing ideas. This would be a unique way to engage staff in your core business while giving them ownership of the product.
3. Wellness Programs: Rahul mentioned Wellness Wednesdays, and I couldn’t agree more! Consider weekly wellness activities such as stretching sessions, group walks, or mindfulness breaks. This shows you care about their health beyond the workplace. Yoga!?!
4. Paid Volunteer Time: which charity? Food bank? Other important relationship fostering . . . community building, giving back.
5. Employee Popcorn Shares: Create a fun system where employees can earn "shares" in special limited-edition popcorn flavors or products based on their tenure, performance, or creativity! 🍿
6. Referral Bonuses: Encourage employees to refer friends and family (since that’s part of your culture) by offering a referral bonus if the new hire stays with the company for a certain period.
7. AI-Powered Employee Support: You can leverage AI (shoutout to Ahmad Jumah here!) to streamline communication with employees regarding HR benefits, payroll, and even assist with scheduling, making the back-office operation more efficient and giving employees easy access to the resources they need.
8. Recognition Programs: Public recognition, whether it’s an “Employee of the Month” or a points-based system to reward hard work, goes a long way in motivating employees. Tie it in with live events like Amanda's summer picnics to build camaraderie. 🏅

Thanks for bringing this conversation up, Jan! It’s wonderful to see a leader so committed to finding ways to truly support and retain their employees. Looking forward to hearing more ideas from this awesome community! 🚀

------------------------------
Ilya Ilienko, dual MBA, CPA, CMA
Board Member / Director
East Coast - United States
------------------------------

Ilya,  Your mind is just full of ideas and I am thankful for the popcorn focus!  Popcorn Innovation Days are on the calendar!  I'm also working through what it will take to be Employee of the Month!  They are all such great ideas and our team is working through how to integrate them.  We actually have a lot of younger folks that work for us and I've also provided times when they can take a break from their regular work and use their creative side for social media posts.  It sounds a bit silly, but they all love to create reels and posts for social media and they take pride when they see their work posted.  We get the side benefit of being able to reach a young demographic with our social media.  Thank you so much!

------------------------------
Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-19-2024 06:49 PM
From: Ilya Ilienko
Subject: Looking for Creative Employee Benefits!!!!

🌟 Fantastic post, Mary (Jan) Baird @Mary Baird ! 🌟 
It's clear that you've already made your workplace an incredible place for employees by fostering a family culture and offering unique perks like free popcorn 🍿 (what a delicious awesome perk!). It shows you're committed to driving your business and are doing so conscientiously.

That said, it's important to continuously innovate, especially as a small business trying to compete with larger companies . I'd love to build on @Amanda Bernard's  and @Rahul Gopal's great suggestions and add a few creative thoughts to your list! 👏

Top 10 Benefits for Your Ultra-Unique-Luxury Popcorn Business:

1. Flexible Scheduling: Many employees value work-life balance. Allowing for flexible hours or remote work for certain roles (like back-office operations) can make a huge difference. AI can help streamline those back-office tasks, as suggested by @Ahmad Jumah, an expert in accounting and audit - think automating inventory, payroll, or reporting tasks! 📊🤖
2. Popcorn Innovation Days: Dedicate one day each quarter where employees collaborate on creating new popcorn flavors, packaging, or even marketing ideas. This would be a unique way to engage staff in your core business while giving them ownership of the product.
3. Wellness Programs: Rahul mentioned Wellness Wednesdays, and I couldn't agree more! Consider weekly wellness activities such as stretching sessions, group walks, or mindfulness breaks. This shows you care about their health beyond the workplace. Yoga!?!
4. Paid Volunteer Time: which charity? Food bank? Other important relationship fostering . . . community building, giving back.
5. Employee Popcorn Shares: Create a fun system where employees can earn "shares" in special limited-edition popcorn flavors or products based on their tenure, performance, or creativity! 🍿
6. Referral Bonuses: Encourage employees to refer friends and family (since that's part of your culture) by offering a referral bonus if the new hire stays with the company for a certain period.
7. AI-Powered Employee Support: You can leverage AI (shoutout to Ahmad Jumah here!) to streamline communication with employees regarding HR benefits, payroll, and even assist with scheduling, making the back-office operation more efficient and giving employees easy access to the resources they need.
8. Recognition Programs: Public recognition, whether it's an "Employee of the Month" or a points-based system to reward hard work, goes a long way in motivating employees. Tie it in with live events like Amanda's summer picnics to build camaraderie. 🏅

Thanks for bringing this conversation up, Jan! It's wonderful to see a leader so committed to finding ways to truly support and retain their employees. Looking forward to hearing more ideas from this awesome community! 🚀

------------------------------
Ilya Ilienko, dual MBA, CPA, CMA
Board Member / Director
East Coast - United States
------------------------------

Rahul,  Thank you for sharing this.  I especially like it because most folks don't realize how physically challenging the manufacturing process can be and how important wellness is to both employees and the company.  In today's environment, where wellness is so important to so many, this is a great way to support it.  

------------------------------
Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-18-2024 02:10 AM
From: Rahul Gopal
Subject: Looking for Creative Employee Benefits!!!!

Great post Jan! A common initiative I have seen is Wellness Wednesdays at workplace, focusing on employee well-being. This can include short workshops or mindfulness sessions aimed at stress reduction, better sleep, and work-life balance. Activities like group yoga, meditation sessions, wellness challenges and mental health check-ins would work great!

------------------------------
Rahul Gopal CMA
Analyst
Karlskrona
Sweden
------------------------------

Rahul,  I really appreciate your idea!  Folks don't realize how physically taxing it is to manufacture throughout the day.  It can certainly be tough on a persons body.  Wellness Wednesday is a great way to provide employees with the skills and knowledge to stay healthy.  It also reminds me of the last company I worked for.  They encouraged 'walking meetings'.  So often instead of sitting at a desk for a 30 minute meeting with a small group, the meeting took place on the walking path around the building.  It allowed employees to get out in the fresh air, get their bodies moving and also accomplish the tasks of the meeting!

------------------------------
Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-18-2024 02:10 AM
From: Rahul Gopal
Subject: Looking for Creative Employee Benefits!!!!

Great post Jan! A common initiative I have seen is Wellness Wednesdays at workplace, focusing on employee well-being. This can include short workshops or mindfulness sessions aimed at stress reduction, better sleep, and work-life balance. Activities like group yoga, meditation sessions, wellness challenges and mental health check-ins would work great!

------------------------------
Rahul Gopal CMA
Analyst
Karlskrona
Sweden
------------------------------

Hello Mary

great Post

i will recommend the following:

Passion Projects" Time

Offer employees a few hours a month to work on their own creative projects related to your business (or even unrelated but enriching). This could bring fresh ideas to your business and ignite more passion in the workplace.

Popcorn Innovators Club

Leverage your product by allowing employees to experiment with creating new popcorn flavors or products. Create a small competition, and the winning flavor gets featured for a limited time with the employee's name on it! This could spark engagement and pride.

Personalized Perks

Offer "personalized perks," where you give a small budget to each employee to spend on something personal that makes them happier at work . This gives them the freedom to tailor their benefits to their individual preferences.

Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) 

While a full-blown stock option plan might be a bit much for a small company, offering profit-sharing or performance-based bonuses can foster a sense of ownership and motivation among your employees, helping retain those who are deeply invested in the company's success.

Bring Your Family to Work Days

Invite employees' families to see where they work and meet the team. It reinforces the family culture and helps build a deeper connection between work and home life.

Surprise Fridays

Every now and then, treat your employees to surprise events like ending the day early for a company BBQ, movie afternoon, or even a "choose your own adventure" where they pick the fun.

Paid Volunteer Time Off

Offer employees a certain number of paid hours annually to volunteer for a cause they care about. It aligns with the family-oriented culture and attracts employees who are motivated by making a positive difference

Professional Development Stipends

Create a small annual budget for each employee to use toward learning something new. This could be an online course, attending an industry conference, or even personal development in areas like leadership or marketing. Growth opportunities are often more attractive than monetary rewards for motivated individuals.

These ideas could help strengthen your already amazing culture and give you an edge when competing for talented, motivated employees!

------------------------------
Karine Kamareddine CMA
CFO
Bluering SAL
Beirut
Lebanon
------------------------------

Karine,  Thank you so much for the input.  Your thoughts on Passion Projects and Personalized Perks both really caught my attention.  I'm trying to think through how to adapt that in our business.  I can imagine Passion Projects extending outside of work time for us.  Something like, the next time you are doing something you are passionate about, let us provide the snacks for the event.  As an example, if someone is involved in a bowling league, painting class, etc., we would provide them popcorn to take to the event to support their passion.  I know it's not exactly what you were referring to, but could be a great adaptation.  The personalized perks is a great idea too!  I need to give some thought as to how to adapt this.   

------------------------------
Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-19-2024 01:12 AM
From: Karine Kamareddine
Subject: Looking for Creative Employee Benefits!!!!

Hello Mary

great Post

i will recommend the following:

Passion Projects" Time

Offer employees a few hours a month to work on their own creative projects related to your business (or even unrelated but enriching). This could bring fresh ideas to your business and ignite more passion in the workplace.

Popcorn Innovators Club

Leverage your product by allowing employees to experiment with creating new popcorn flavors or products. Create a small competition, and the winning flavor gets featured for a limited time with the employee's name on it! This could spark engagement and pride.

Personalized Perks

Offer "personalized perks," where you give a small budget to each employee to spend on something personal that makes them happier at work . This gives them the freedom to tailor their benefits to their individual preferences.

Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) 

While a full-blown stock option plan might be a bit much for a small company, offering profit-sharing or performance-based bonuses can foster a sense of ownership and motivation among your employees, helping retain those who are deeply invested in the company's success.

Bring Your Family to Work Days

Invite employees' families to see where they work and meet the team. It reinforces the family culture and helps build a deeper connection between work and home life.

Surprise Fridays

Every now and then, treat your employees to surprise events like ending the day early for a company BBQ, movie afternoon, or even a "choose your own adventure" where they pick the fun.

Paid Volunteer Time Off

Offer employees a certain number of paid hours annually to volunteer for a cause they care about. It aligns with the family-oriented culture and attracts employees who are motivated by making a positive difference

Professional Development Stipends

Create a small annual budget for each employee to use toward learning something new. This could be an online course, attending an industry conference, or even personal development in areas like leadership or marketing. Growth opportunities are often more attractive than monetary rewards for motivated individuals.

These ideas could help strengthen your already amazing culture and give you an edge when competing for talented, motivated employees!

------------------------------
Karine Kamareddine CMA
CFO
Bluering SAL
Beirut
Lebanon
------------------------------

Questions & Food for Thought (FOOD 4 THOUGHT LOL):

• Have you considered using AI tools for recruitment or even for inventory management in your manufacturing and distribution processes? It might lighten the load on the operational side.
• How do you handle back-office functions like payroll, bookkeeping, and inventory? Could using automated AI systems improve efficiency and allow your team to focus more on creative and customer-facing tasks? @David Belnap’s expertise in accounting tech might provide some insights here.
• Lastly, have you tried out any kind of profit-sharing or performance bonus structures? They can be quite motivating, especially in smaller, family-like environments!

Let me ponder on it some more, OK?!?!

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Ilya Ilienko, dual MBA, CPA, CMA
Board Member / Director
East Coast - United States
------------------------------

What helps attract and retain employees is also the overall culture of a company. All of these ideas feed into the overall culture of that particular company. One thing I do is I give my staff an hour each day to train or learn new skills. I don't dictate what they are learning during this time, although I do give recommendations from time to time. This is something they do to help better themselves.

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David Belnap, CMA, CSCA, CPA
Belnap Accounting
Hollywood FL
United States
------------------------------

I agree with you @David Belnap.

I'll further add, it helps being awesome! If you are nice, create a pleasant environment, no drama, no silly behavior, but chill, nice, easy going while accountable, no micromanaging . . . that helps

If people enjoy being in the environment you create or are contributing to, then they are more likely to stay too.

😀😃😄😁😆😅🤣😂🙂😉😊😇

Right???

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Ilya Ilienko, dual MBA, CPA, CMA
Board Member / Director
East Coast - United States
------------------------------

David, I couldn't agree more with how important culture is!  We strive for a family environment where our customers and employees feel welcome and valued.  I have to admire your commitment to training, because one hour per day is a true investment on your part!

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Mary Baird CMA
Chief Executive Officer
Dublin OH
United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-20-2024 10:35 AM
From: David Belnap
Subject: Looking for Creative Employee Benefits!!!!

What helps attract and retain employees is also the overall culture of a company. All of these ideas feed into the overall culture of that particular company. One thing I do is I give my staff an hour each day to train or learn new skills. I don't dictate what they are learning during this time, although I do give recommendations from time to time. This is something they do to help better themselves.

------------------------------
David Belnap, CMA, CSCA, CPA
Belnap Accounting
Hollywood FL
United States
------------------------------

A few ideas for you:

1.  Cold beverage (juices they like?) that they can enjoy after doing a fantastic job to get an order processed on a hot day.

2.  Family friendly DVD movies that they can select and borrow to watch at home while enjoying popcorn.

3.  Teach some popcorn facts, benefits, and history that employees can use share with their story of where they work.

4.  Give a "Top Kernel" hat for the outstanding employee to wear.

5.  Use time/motion/process studies to involve employees to continuously improve their work and reward them with grocery stores gift cards for ideas that work out the best.

6.  Have a new flavor contest where the winner gets their name and picture on the label.

7. Reward employees with grocery gift cards who pass impromptu inspections for health, safety, and cleanliness.

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Mark Freudenberg CMA, CSCA, CPA, CGMA
Controller
Dublin OH
United States
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