When we think of retention tools, we think of perks and benefits, we often talk about free lunches and foosball tables, but in a time when these things are now very common or not as feasible since many workers began working from home in 2020, how can a company hold onto its top talent?

And yes, maybe that foosball table is part of it, but retention really begins with a company that values and prioritizes kindness, empathy, and compassion. It’s not as flashy as a game room, onsite gym, or nap pods, but let’s face it—there’s no harm in being kind. A simple thank you goes a long way and often costs nothing—which is incredibly budget friendly. Regardless of if you’re a Fortune 1000 company or a small business it doesn’t take much to cultivate a workplace based around kindness.

You’ve gone through the entire interview process and your ideal candidate has continually impressed you and made it to the offer round. You extend what you feel is a lucrative offer of employment, only to receive a polite “Thank you for the offer but I have to decline”. Why did that happen? You thought you found your dream employee and they seemed eager to take the role only to turn it down in the end. Here are a few reasons why candidates may be rejecting your job offers.

Long gone are the days a prestigious degree is required for a management role. Most job tasks can be learned through training and sometimes the best employees aren’t those who already have the desired experience, but those who are willing to adapt and pick up the skill set.

Regardless of the industry you are in, hiring top talents can help your business grow. Sure, you may have thought of competitive salaries and perks to attract them. But there are other ways to attract potential employees to work for your company.

There’s no one way to hire great talent and using the same strategies for all the positions you need to fill will result in a lackluster team. If you’re looking to build a team with members with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets, look beyond the job title.

Let’s agree that hiring hourly workers has always been a challenge, but it’s even harder at the moment. These are the people who showed up and kept the world running while the majority of us stayed home in 2020 and beyond. As a result, these workers are no longer accepting the status quo, because let’s face it—the world has changed!

Until recently, hiring hourly workers wasn’t that challenging, but after an extended period of time when many hourly workers were deemed essential, the tables have turned. So, who is the hourly worker and what motivates them? Download the PDF.