SMALL COMPANY BOSSES can attract senior staff by offering them a better quality of life through flexible working and home working opportunities, a new survey suggests.

Many small businesses struggle to recruit suitably-qualified staff, with those in top-end positions even harder to attract, as they cannot compete on pay with larger rivals.

But the poll by recruitment consultancy Blue Skies suggests that senior executives are no longer motivated exclusively by money and would be prepared to work for organisations that can offer them a better work/life balance instead of hard cash.

The survey found that 65% saw flexibility as more important than salary when it came to job satisfaction.

“The survey findings challenge the widespread perception that money promotes a feeling of job satisfaction,” said Ben Vickers, managing director of Blue Skies.“It is clear that the excesses of the 1990s are far behind us and colleagues in the boardroom place quality of life as a far more important priority than chasing a fat pay cheque.

“This could be down to executives having a slightly older profile and wanting to spend more time with their families, particularly if they’ve earned substantial sums earlier in their careers,” he added.

“We’re seeing employers offering increasingly flexible packages to suit individuals’ needs in a bid to attract the best candidates on the market.”

SOURCENOTE: Newbusiness.com