There are plenty of applicants currently in the job market, so chances are when a position opens up at your agency, you get receive a plethora of applications. But like any human resources professional will tell you, finding qualified, ideal candidates isn’t always that easy.

Websites like Glassdoor encourage employees to rate their employer and promotes discussion of company culture. After all, you check an applicant’s references before you hire them, why shouldn’t they check yours?

Becoming an employer of choice ultimately yields many benefits for your organization, making an investment in your office culture well worth your time and money. Benefits of being an employer of choice include:

• Hiring the best of the best
  Being an employer of choice means that you’ve created a reputation for your company as a great place to work. As such, you’ll see more qualified applicants, and ultimately, more qualified employees.

• Turnover reduction
  Loyalty yields not only stronger interpersonal relationships but also reduces hiring costs that come along with staff turnover. Just like retaining an existing customer is cheaper than finding a new one, retaining existing employees is cheaper than constantly having to search for replacements.

• Strong and united team mentality
  Individual employee satisfaction plays a significant part in creating a unified, content team efficiently working together toward a common goal.

• Employees who WANT to be at work
  Creating an environment that is enjoyable to your employees makes them want to stay there, both in the long term and on a day-to-day basis. The longer they stay, the more high-quality work they produce. The Google culture model is a perfect example of extracting more productivity from your employees by creating the best work environment possible. Google’s headquarters offers free chef-prepared meals, free health and dental benefits, a gym and pool, foosball and ping pong tables, on-site physicians, and free haircuts and dry cleaning. The cost-benefit analysis of each of these items has been closely assessed, and each has been proven beneficial for the company’s productivity.

While not all companies can afford the types of perks that Google offers, the message is clear: keeping your employees happy is not just about them; it’s a solid business strategy that is proven successful. While the investment can be significant, the benefits far outweigh the costs.