Give us your best ideas for how talent advisors and their companies can better invest in talent without spending a ton of money.

Thats what our fearless resident talent advisors Jennifer McClure, Tim Sackett, Steve Browne and Matthew Stollak were asked to do and they didnt disappoint.

(Psst You already know why its so important to invest in your talent right? That its vital to recruitment, retention, and your bottom line? If not, make sure youre subscribed to our Talent Advisor content. because our talent advisors have a lot to say about it in the month of February.)

To kick things off, below is a collection of our talent advisors best anecdotes and advice about how to start investing in your talent (on a budget).  Whether youre struggling to find new ways to invest in your people, trying to convince someone at your company (or yourself) its worth doing in the first place, or feel like youre in a pretty good place but just need some new inspiration, theres an idea here for you.

first, Realize that Thank you really does go a long way.

MCCLURE: Invest in your employees by taking the time to say “thank you” and to genuinely appreciate their efforts. No consultants needed. No time out of the office for training. Just a few minutes each day, or a few hours each month, of your time could generate the greatest return on investment.

BROWNE: Recognize employees in-person on their shift and at their location. We do this with cookies, balloons and gift cards.

 Surprise and delight your employees.

MCCLURE: Want to invest in a unique benefit that will help your employees stay focused on their work – while still getting personal errands and family obligations taken care of? Provide concierge services. Both small and large employers can contract with a service (like Best Upon Request ) to handle mundane, but necessary, tasks like picking up dry cleaning, dropping your car off for maintenance, or meeting the cable guy.

STOLLAK: Create a safe room where employees can decompress from a stressful day.

help people stretch and get inspired outside of their work role.

SACKETT: I gave $100 to each of my employees and gave them 24 hours to go pay it forward. I said. Here is $100. Leave work right now and go find someone who could really use this. Make someones day better. They then had to come back and share their story with everyone. The stories were awesome and uplifting and people loved it. We all feel like we want to do more, give more, etc. but life gets in the way. Its not Oprah money, but everyone loves an extra $100 bill. My employees loved it more that they got to give with it.

STOLLAK: Start awarding innovation awards to employees who offer ways to make their job better.

MCCLURE: Inspire and encourage your employees to achieve their personal dreams by hiring a Dream Manager for your organization. A Dream Manager works with employees individually to help them envision their dreams, establish concrete plans to achieve them and hold them accountable. The Dream Manager idea was originally started by the owners of a janitorial services company in Cincinnati, OH. A Dream Manager helped Jancoa employees realize dreams such as purchasing a home, starting their own business, and stopping smoking – helping them to become more fulfilled and loyal employees in the process.

STOLLAK:  1) Get a site license for a site like Grammarly.com to help your employees write more effectively and become better communicators. 2) Build a learning library of business books at the office that employees can borrow, read and learn from, and return at their convenience.

elevate them to the next level.

BROWNE: Set up plans for people to go to professional development events – on purpose.  Get folks to meet/connect with these events and the people in their specialty/industry/role.

MCCLURE: Encourage your employees to share their expertise by speaking at industry conferences and events, instead of just signing up to attend. Support their efforts by investing in speaking coaches to help them showcase their talents – and your company as their employer – with maximum impact. Encouraging your employees to shine professionally will help them grow, and will also showcase your company as a place where smart and successful professionals work.

BROWNE: Eliminate performance reviews and start a tangible development program! And teach supervisors how to give immediate feedback  its so easy if it becomes a habit.

SHAKE THINGS UP.

STOLLAK: Invest in employees by getting rid of the bad managers who are often the biggest performance drain and cause of turnover.

BROWNE: Destroy the desks of your HR staff.  Mandate that they are out with the people as part of their job description, compensation, etc.

STOLLAK:  Host an HR Hackathon A 48-hour all-hands-on-deck hack session IS the onboarding program. What better way to introduce a new hire to what the organization is all about?

Throwing it back out there to all of you what is the best piece of advice youd give others on investing in talent? Whats an idea youve found to make a difference at your own organization? Let us know in the comments or give us a shout at @cbforemployers on Twitter.

Throughout the month of February, the Talent Advisor Portal will be featuring HR leaders who will help you learn why and how and why to invest in talent in 2015 even on a shoestring budget and why its about more than making them love you. New to Talent Advisor? Sign up here to get new articles delivered to your email inbox.

Feb 4, 2015 Amy K. McDonnell