Many UK companies are failing to recruit the top talent because they are not aware of the qualities and benefits that people are looking for in a potential employer, workplace consultant Croner has said.
In a survey, the firm found a considerable gap between what employers believe makes their company attractive, and what potential employees actually want to see.
Almost two thirds of employers questioned said that their company's reputation was their most attractive attribute, while 54% said that staff development and training opportunities made their firms attractive.
However, only 22% of employees believed that reputation was important, while just over a quarter listed training and development.
The two qualities that employees found most attractive were holiday entitlement and the location of their work, 43% and 47% respectively.
"Although little can be done about location, home working can be a powerful benefit to employees, as can offering other flexible solutions such as later start times or job sharing," said Gillian Dowling, technical consultant at Croner.
"Evidence suggests that offering such benefits can lead to commercial gains due to improved employee relations, staff morale and retention."
"Employers may have to be more inventive about the benefits they offer," she added.