A/E firm leaders and HR directors are offering employees referral compensation bonuses

Faced with stiff competition in the job market, an increasing number of A/E firm leaders and HR directors are offering employees referral compensation bonuses to find new staff members. Data from ZweigWhite's 2007 Policies, Procedures & Benefits Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms shows 71 percent of firms compensate current employees for referrals-about 15 percent more than in the last five years. Over the past few years, an increasing number of principals in the A/E industry have reported staff recruitment and retention as one of their top challenges. Considering that 89 percent of firm leaders say referrals and word of mouth are their best sources of new hires, it's not surprising that more firms are offering financial rewards to their employees in an effort to find new staff. These referral bonuses typically range from $500 to $1,750 for each successful referral. Additional details about the survey are available at http://www.zweigwhite.com/.