We hired three people directly from that. The money we saved was phenomenal. If we were to hire from a search firm, it costs usually 20 to 25 per cent of a first-year earnings of an individual. Our employees had a lot of fun. The company also offers other cash compensation and profit-sharing incentives.
Tundra uses a signing bonus and provides stock options.
All are variables on the same theme, says Ms. Burton. When I was in a company that wasn't publicly traded and didn't have stock options, they used bonuses heavily. If you don't have stock options, it seems as though there is pressure on you to have something in place that gives people an opportunity to really build their equity. The private company offers stock options and employee referral rewards. But that doesn't appear to be the drawing card, says CEO Peter Scovell.