Beyond Money

By Jennifer Warwick

Hiring managers who aren't able to offer competitive salaries may be able to attract talent through the creative packaging of benefits. Many prospective employees are willing to look beyond salaries for perks like tuition remission, mileage allowances, or paid campus parking.

Employees especially value flexible schedules or telecommuting opportunities, although these benefits are not without cost-to the employer or the employee. Sara Severance Weinert, vice president for communications at Southwestern College in California, recalls a time when she wrestled with whether to use her generous flextime arrangement.

"My oldest son qualified to compete in the state geography bee, but the bee fell on the same weekend as the spring trustee meeting. I asked President [Dick] Merriman if it would matter if I missed the trustee meeting so I could support Nathan at the bee. 'That depends,' he said, 'on whether or not you want to be taken seriously as an administrator.' My husband took Nathan to the geography bee."

She says that a healthy, well-balanced life has costs that need to be weighed. "There's the financial cost, of course. I was the first mother of young children to become part of Southwestern's administrative council, [and] ... I can say without fear of contradiction that both my lack of graduate degrees and my emphasis on flexibility over salary meant I did not have the highest salary in the room. My family commitments also meant I haven't pursued other jobs that might have been a good fit, because that would have meant moving or not having the flexibility I have here.

"But," she adds, "the benefits far, far outweigh the costs. I have been able to enjoy every stage of my boys' lives."

So what bonuses, benefits, and perquisites should you consider offering to get that perfect candidate to commit to your institution? Every institution is different, of course, and the higher the position, the more perks are up for discussion. And every individual has different needs.

But generally speaking, it can be much easier for supervisors to show their appreciation with one or more of these items rather than with a permanent salary increase.

Here's a list to get your wheels turning:

• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• Disability and life insurance
• Sick, bereavement, and maternity leave
• University contributions to retirement accounts
• Signing bonus
• Early performance review
• Cell phone
• Laptop
• University vehicle, car lease, or car allowance
• Reserved parking or paid campus parking
• Telecommuting policy
• Flextime
• Relocation expense coverage
• Child care
• Elder care
• Release time for consulting, speaking, or writing
• Tuition remission (for self, family, and domestic partners)
• Gym membership or wellness package
• Country club or social club membership
• Conference registrations
• Additional vacation or personal days
• Credit union
• Financial planning services
• Employee Assistance Program
• Free subscriptions, discount offers, tickets, and community events
• Severance package