The employee offer letter is a good place to make sure you are covering all your bases and including any last-minute information/benefits. That’s why we asked 11 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
“What is one unusual thing you include or have heard of others including in employee offer letters that might be useful?”
Elements of a Successful Employment Offer Letter
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. Office Closure Dates
“Office closures dates are massively helpful when a new employee is reviewing their offer letter. At ZinePak, if you combine our standard vacation plan with the fact that we shut down between Christmas and New Years, it ultimately comes out to 3+ weeks of paid leave. It’s rare that offer letters include closures but this small detail can help further interest or reduce the negotiation time.” ~ Kim Kaupe, ZinePak
2. A Wellness Plan
“I have heard how some companies willingly include a plan to ensure that employees maintain their health and weight goals, offering any tools necessary to ensure their well-being. This shows companies understand healthy employees will be engaged, productive employees.” ~ John Rampton, Due
3. Trial Period Details
“More small businesses are starting to do a trial period of specific tasks they are experienced in, categorizing them as 1099 contractors, and then reevaluating after the project is over to move them over to a W2 full-time employee. This protects the employer quite a bit, but also gives the employee a set period of time to decide whether it is a good fit for them or not to stay on longer-term.” ~ Matt Murphy, Kids in the Game LLC
4. Sabbatical Policies
“Although there is a lot of talk about work-life balance, there still are not many places that provide the room and resources for an employee to go off for a month or longer to pursue an idea that may or may not relate to work. Including that in an offer letter shows an employee that you are interested in their personal and professional development and willing to give them that space to pursue it.” ~ Murray Newlands, Sighted
5. Travel Allowance
“I have to admit, if I were an employee, this is what would have me. Allowing your team to travel (comfortably) and broaden their horizons makes them more creative and valuable to the business. Plus, the idea that working for a certain company allows you to see the world once a year is reason enough to apply. This makes the company spoiled for choice with high-quality candidates.” ~ Cody McLain, SupportNinja
6. A Device Policy
“Many organizations that encourage BYOD culture have started including device management and security policies in employee offer letters. This clearly lays down the prerequisites for the new joiners. They know what or what not to do when using their personal devices in an enterprise set up.” ~ Pratham Mittal, Outgrow
7. A Personal Touch
“Most offer letters include the standard line stating how happy you are that the candidate is joining your team. But just like a good cover letter, saying something specific about WHY they are your candidate of choice will start the relationship off on the right foot. Also, consider sending a care package of company swag or ask their preferred size for their company t-shirt.” ~ Diana Goodwin, AquaMobile
8. Congratulatory Messages
“People like being appreciated. When we send offer letters, they’re accompanied with phone calls and text messages from people at the company who the candidate might not have met during the interview period to congratulate them and tell them how excited they are about having them on board. It connects the momentum between the interviews and the start date.” ~ Fan Bi, Blank Label
9. A Flexible Start Date
“When someone is in the process of switching jobs, they’re usually a little burned out from the work involved in preparing to leave one job and searching for a new one. Let them choose their start date so they can take a break or go on a quick vacation. A few weeks or days won’t kill your business, you’ll give them a chance to recharge, and they’ll appreciate your flexibility.” ~ Roger Lee, Captain401
10. Company Contact Details
“I like to have new employees shadowed by an existing employee to show them the ropes and facilitate their onboarding. Letting prospective employees talk to someone in a similar role before they start working for us gets the ball rolling as soon as possible, and provides new hires with a contact who can answer their questions (especially technical questions) more fully than our HR team could.” ~ Justin Blanchard, ServerMania Inc.
11. Gift Card Bonus Plans
“I run two digital gifting companies for personal and corporate gifting. We understand and embrace the power of perks. Each employee is given an amount that they can give to other employees, and they can receive a gift card at any time from anyone for doing a great job. We include it in the offer because it is a big part of our culture.” ~ Renato Libric, Bouxtie Inc
Offer Letter Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “11 Unusual Elements of a Successful Employment Offer Letter” was first published on Small Business Trends