Finding, training, motivating and keeping good people may be your greatest challenge -maybe greater than all the others combined - but Rental Management can help you fit the pieces into a clear picture. First, a quiz:

• Do you think money is enough to motivate the best?
• Do you have the right stuff to be a good manager?
• Do employees know what you're talking about?
• Do your performance reviews bring people to tears?

Do you know how long people are going to stay?
Several years ago, the job market was vastly different from what it is today. Potential employees lined up at the employer's door, resume in hand, and the employer got to take his pick of the best and the brightest. Once they were hired, it was easy to keep employees happy - they were in it for the money.

The ideas of atmosphere, benefits and flexible schedules were only secondary to the weekly paycheck.

Since then, the situation has turned 180 degrees in favor of the employee.

Unemployment is at its lowest level in decades and employers are scrambling to scoop up the best workers. Now it takes more than money to lure the talent - today's workers want jobs that complement their lives instead of taking them over. To attract and retain the most capable workers, an employer needs an attractive benefits package that goes beyond a decent paycheck. Add to this employees' market the fact that the average hiring mistake costs a company from $7,000 to $10,000, and you'll see why finding and keeping the best employees are critical to your rental business.

The secret to hiring and retaining the best workers is finding out what they're really looking for in a career - and giving it to them. Rental Management interviewed several rental company owners and employees, and found out that hiring and retaining the most talented employees isn't as hard - and doesn't cost as much - as you might think.

Faceless corporations, employees with numbers instead of names and an iron-hand style of management are things of the past. The store employees interviewed agreed that workers are looking for a family atmosphere that combines elements of respect, trust and fun.

A.R.A. Senior Vice President Frank Wilson, owner of Frank Wilson's Tents and Events, a party rental company with stores in Augusta, Ga., and Hilton Head, S.C., says a little respect goes a lot farther than a lot of intimidation. Many years back, he wondered why things weren't going as well as they should, and instead of blaming employees, he stopped and took "a close look inward on my management style," he says. He concluded that the only way to treat employees was fairly and decently, and the responsibility for doing that was his. "If you treat employees badly, morale gets low," says Wilson. "Now I treat employees the way I want to be treated."

This management turnaround must have been a success - store manager Dot Howell has been with the company for 17 years, and other employees have left the company for higher paying positions only to return later. Says Howell, "The most important thing is the boss-employee relationship. It must be one of trust and integrity. You look for a person who's well-grounded and there for you. I'm a happy camper and I don't intend to leave."

Listening in. One of the easiest ways to retain employees doesn't cost a dime: listen to them. "At our last Halloween party, we gave our party shop employees a questionnaire," says A.R.A. Region Seven Director Linda Jones, owner of Area Rent-Alls, which has one party and costume store and one general rental store in Westminster, Colo. "They were really psyched about that. They answered questions on what works in the company and what they'd like to see happen. They came up with great ideas on how to get customers through faster and on how to barcode the merchandise." Jim McAllister, assistant manager at Area Rent-Alls, agrees that listening is one of the best things an employer can do to keep the staff happy. "If employees are allowed to give their input it not only boosts their confidence, but also gives a sense of belonging."

Benefits and bonuses. Many rental companies can't compete with other industries when it comes to salary - so they turn to benefits and bonuses to attract and keep employees. Bunce Rental, a chain of six general rental stores, three medical stores and one party store in the Tacoma, Wash., area, competes with local aerospace giant Boeing for employees. Yet it has managed to keep one employee for 42 years, and others have been with the company as long as 20 years. Its secret?

"We can't match Boeing's wages, so we have a profit-sharing plan," explains Jack Greenfield, co-owner (with his brother, A.R.A. Region Eight Director Mark Greenfield) of Bunce Rental. "At the end of the calendar year, we take an amount equal to 15 percent of our employees' wages out of our profits and invest it. Since we started in 1972, we never failed to make a contribution." If an employee leaves the company early, he forfeits part of the money. One employee recently retired with more than $200,000 in the plan. "I've got people who have retired but keep their money in there because they're getting such a good return on investment," says Greenfield.

Such benefits appeal to employees because they show that the company cares about their future. "A long-term benefit package for retirement is important to me," says Lewis Caldwell, manager-in-training at The Rent-All Shops, a construction and general tool rental company with five locations in Columbia, S.C. Caldwell started working for the company in 1979, left to pursue a career in the restaurant industry for 17 years, and returned to The Rent-All Shops in 1998. "It's important for me to plan for my family's future," he says. "Pay is a factor, but planning for the future is what keeps me happy."

Providing for their future keeps employees satisfied in the long run, but for boosting everyday enthusiasm for the job, spot bonuses do the trick. "Every now and then an employee will do an exceptional job beyond the normal course of duty and someone will slip them $100 and say 'Good job,'" confides Joe McKenney, co-owner (with his wife Pam) of The Rent-All Shops. "It shows them they're recognized when they do a good job. It keeps them enthusiastic."

Other bonuses that employees appreciate are gift certificates, parties and event passes. "They're real nice here," says Area Rent-Alls' McAllister. "They give us turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas bonuses, and take us out to dinner. I've seen them give gift certificates to restaurants. There aren't a lot of companies that do that."

Benefits, input, a family atmosphere. Notice anything missing from this list of things rental company employees are asking for? It's money. Each of the companies interviewed revealed that they've had employees leave for higher paying jobs, only to return for the intangible benefits. "Most jobs are just clock in, do what you have to do and clock out," says McAllister. "If you can manage to have good benefits, foster a family atmosphere and let employees give their input, then you have a good workplace - and happy workers who will stay."