There Really Are Good Min Wage Employees Out There

John Krautzel
Posted by in Career Advice


Even if your company can only afford to pay minimum wage, you can still attract solid workers. Although there's no denying that compensation is important to all potential employees, many applicants are also looking for a job that's rewarding in less tangible ways. Finding long-term employees who accept minimum wage is surprisingly easy if you know what to offer.

Offer Flexible Scheduling

When it comes to finding employees who are willing to work for minimum wage, flexibility is a powerful motivator. For example, someone may be more willing to work for less if they can work from home a few days out of the week. You may also be able to attract students by offering to work around class schedules. There are plenty of great employees out there who would be happy to take a pay cut in order to have the perfect schedule. After all, a positive work-life balance is extremely important to today's workers.

Provide Benefits

Plenty of fantastic candidates may be fine with getting paid less if you offer an impressive benefits package. While this approach isn't always feasible for all businesses, you may find that you're able to save money by paying lower salaries while offering outstanding benefits such as 401K, vacation time, dental insurance, and health insurance.

Develop Your Brand

Ideally, your employees would want to work for your brand even if they weren't being compensated at all. Of course, that's not realistic, but you can still attract top talent by creating a brand that inspires passion and pride. While building your brand takes time, sometimes simply rethinking and revamping your marketing strategies and social media presence is enough to make people take renewed interest in your brand. Establish your company as an authority in your field, and people may want to work there simply for the experience, in spite of being paid minimum wage.

Create a Positive Corporate Culture

Many modern workers are willing to sacrifice money to eliminate stress. Little things like allowing a more relaxed dress code, letting employees listen to music, and providing the occasional free lunch really go a long way in making people excited to show up to work every day. Not only does fostering a welcoming, uplifting, and comfortable environment help with attracting minimum wage employees, but it also boosts your company's retention rates, naturally increasing your bottom line.

Mentor Your Employees

There are many interns who work for free because they recognize the long-term value of their position. Even though you're offering minimum wage, you can make your team feel like their time is worth it because they're gaining new skills and experience to add to their resumes. When finding employees, emphasize how your company can benefit their lives and careers as a whole, beyond just providing an immediate paycheck. That should keep potential hires interested while also assisting you with salary negotiations.

Finding outstanding minimum wage workers may take longer than usual, but it's entirely possible. As long as you put effort into creating a company that people genuinely want to be a part of, you should find qualified candidates. It's always wise to be cautious when hiring new employees, but sometimes you also need to trust your instincts and give people a chance. Be a strong leader, and you can help your team to thrive.


Photo courtesy of franky242 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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