A Good Recruiting Tool - office amenities can help lure employees - Brief Article

Nation's Business, Feb, 1999 by Thomas Love

Thomas Love is a business writer in McLean, Va.

Service tailored for an electronic age; emerging workplace trends; a company environment with an ohana feeling.

A good work environment can be an important tool to attract and retain a good staff, according to Reel Grobman & Associates, a San Jose, Calif., provider of interior-planning and -design services. The firm offers four tips for creating a good work environment:

* Offer amenities in the building, such as laundry and dry cleaning, meals, and shopping.

* Provide on-site day care.

* Set aside an area where employees can "release steam"--play ball, exercise, or have lunch.

* Establish a plan for ongoing workplace improvements, taking employees wishes into consideration.