In the current workforce, there is so much more that an employee looks for in a job outside of a livable wage. While many companies believe that the best thing you can do to attract employees is offer competitive pay, getting people to apply and onboarding them is only half the battle. Pay is important of course, but in order to maintain employee morale and a healthy work culture, as well as retain high-quality employees, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Here are the top six things employees look for in a workplace:

1. Mission

Contrary to popular belief, growth or the vision of your company are not missions. These days, people want to feel like they are a part of something bigger. A company that gives back and has a deep sense of social responsibility is something employees will wear with pride. There are many ways you can implement this into your company model, some examples include:

• • Having employee volunteer outings and/or opportunities
• • Giving a percentage of your profits to a good cause
• • Host office donation drives (such as collecting clothing, pet food, or canned goods for underprivileged families)

2. Flexibility

Nowadays, it is more crucial than ever to address employee flexibility needs. If a workplace isn’t flexible, people are unlikely to stay. This can look like, ability to work remotely, flexible hours or arrival and departure times, having more than average paid time off, etc.

Remember, you do not have to accommodate every option, but having a wide range of options that appeal to employees across the board will benefit not only them, but also you as company by keeping your top talent and saving money on turnover.

3. Inclusivity

In the past, employers have placed  major emphasis on being a diverse workplace. And while diversity is still something organizations should include in their recruiting and hiring processes, inclusivity has become just as, if not more important. While diversity tends to focus on lifestyle as well as the physical, and social attributes of a person, inclusivity is the behaviors, procedures, and social norms a company puts into place to ensure that all employees feel comfortable, welcomed, and included.

Some ways to be inclusive are:

• • Encouraging employees to include their preferred pronouns on email signatures
• • Providing a place for people whose native language is not English to take calls in privacy
• • Offering options that accommodate a variety of dietary needs during staff breakfasts or lunches

Things like this will help employees stay motivated, continue to be engaged, and want to stay with the company for longer.

4. Wellbeing

No matter what industry they’re in, employees spend the majority of their time at work.

For this reason, it is essential that employees know their well-being is being is looked after by the company they work for. Studies show that companies that have implemented employee wellbeing into their model has resulted in both increased productivity and boosted employee morale. Some ways companies have done this are, gifting their employees company branded wellness gifts, renovating the office to bring in more natural light, and giving them the permission to disengage from work once they leave the site or office.

5. Fulfillment

More than ever before, especially with millennials making up such a huge percentage of the job market, people are craving purpose and progress in the workplace.

Helping your employees feel like they have a reason to come to work every day beyond a paycheck and a fancy work title is a sure-fire way to ensure quality work and employee retention. A few ways you can do this are by sitting down individually with each of your employees to discuss a goal and a path to achieving it and inviting them to give suggestions on how to increase revenue, improve company culture, and make the workday more pleasurable or productive.

6. Communication

This goes for both communication between employees and senior leaders as well as between employees and their direct supervisors.

Communication comes in many forms: schedule, training, weekly feedback, recognition, etc. We have found that 69 % of employees say they would work harder if they felt recognized yet of the current workforce, only 30% state that they have received valuable feedback from their organization.

There are many ways to improve communication in your company, some of them to consider are:

• • Expressing an “open-door” policy with office hours
• • Facilitating regular check-ins where you and your employees can exchange feedback
• • Putting out the schedule two weeks in advance
• • Ensuring that employees feel properly trained and equipped to do their jobs

Overall, employees want to feel like they are seen and heard for the contributing individuals that they are, not just a number or a cog in the machine. If your company regularly demonstrates that you actively care about your employees, in return, they will respond with a strong work ethic and company loyalty.