By their very nature, many food processing companies are located in rural communities, close to the farms and ranches that supply their raw products. But while the advantages of a small-town lifestyle are well-known – friendly people, nonexistent traffic, proximity to natural beauty – there’s a downside as well. For many of the Northwest Food Processors Association’s rural members, the most difficult challenge can be attracting a steady stream of qualified applicants more interested in quiet livability than the bright lights of the big city.

“We use the same equipment as food processors in urban areas, and require our employees to have the same level of technical sophistication,” says Tom Madden, owner of Rite Stuff Foods in rural Jerome, Idaho. “But living in a rural area, it’s a constant battle to find workers and supervisors with the skills needed to keep things running smoothly. Given the choice of a higher wages for doing the same job in a place like Seattle or Portland, how many workers are going to take less pay to work somewhere like Jerome or Moses Lake?”

Most food processors understand that an innovative, well-trained workforce is a key to their continued prosperity. As many rural companies are finding, a little HR creativity -- and some think-outside-the-box perks – can pay gratifying dividends in attracting top talent to rural communities.

Innovative Perks = Happy Employees

Americans live in a workaholic, high-performance culture. Just look at the numbers: Americans work an average of 47 hours weekly, and recoup with just two weeks of vacation a year, on average -- that's less downtime than any other developed country. The fallout of these long hours is evident everywhere you look. Stress reigns supreme, "work-life balance" is anything but, and many feel overwhelmed. That drowning sensation fuels more frequent sick days, high turnover, and (you guessed it) more stress.

Anxious to entice new recruits and hold on to smart, talented employees, some U.S. companies have implemented an array of innovative perks and programs. Here are some of the best:

One Oregon company pays up to 100 percent (depending on the student’s grades) of the tuition for the children of its employees at any college or university in the U.S.

Another company allows employees to bring their dogs to work and provides subsidized massages and free lunches at a choice of gourmet cafeterias.

Netflix and IBM have no set vacation days. "If you hire adults who practice adult behaviors, you don't need requirements like dress codes and vacation policies," says Steve Swasey, vice president of corporate communications at Netflix. Confident that workers won't abuse the system, Netflix doesn't even keep track of how many days they're out of the office. In a related vein, Best Buy has a set-your-own-hours program, launched in 2002 after a spike in resignations and stress-related health claims. Since then, productivity has jumped by an average of 41 percent.

Other perks U.S. companies use to ensure that employees feel appreciated: lavish gift baskets and free housekeeping services to woo employees and their families; free vacations at company-owned condominiums in vacation destinations like Florida and Hawaii; “vacation vouchers” good for airfare, lodging and other expenses; afternoon naps (yoga mat and eye masks provided); on-site car detailing services; beer and pizza parties; company subsidies of varying levels for down payments, mortgage payments, rent, groceries and child care.

Grow Your Own

One simple and cost-effective way to fill critical vacancies is to “up-skill” promising current employees. Many rural community colleges and vocational schools offer training in specific disciplines from accounting to agribusiness to computer-aided manufacturing to electronics repair. Investing in the critical skill development of employees with a demonstrated commitment to a rural company and community is a loyalty enhancement that can pay tremendous dividends, reducing turnover and increasing productivity. For a list of rural Idaho, Oregon, Washington community colleges and training centers, with links to each school, click here.

Try a “Test Drive”

Culture shock is the driving force behind high turnover rates at many rural companies, experts say. As some leading rural enterprises have found, one way to nip it in the bud is by deploying an unusually revealing recruitment process. These companies invite serious candidates to spend a week “test-driving” their corporate culture and locale prior to making a job offer.

At Advanced Financial Solutions in Oklahoma City, employee prospects get an up-close-and-personal look at the $60 million software company. The exact schedule is flexible, but prospective employees visit all departments and meet everyone from the CEO to the secretaries. Meanwhile, volunteers from AFS's staff and their families help spouses check out schools, housing, and whatever else might be important to them if they decide to resettle in America's heartland. The goal of this extended-visit program: to test whether job candidates, the company, and the city are all a good fit.

As a result, AFS enjoys a 1% turnover rate. The cost: less than $10,000 per hire, not counting headhunters' fees. That's minuscule compared with the price of hiring the wrong people, says AFS co-founder Gary Nelson: "You can't put a price tag on aggravation and grief."