Stock options don't make much sense, since the company's private. [It still does, if you are a facebook of sorts AND the regulatory system permits sites like secondmarket, but I digress.] I could think of some:Health benefits to parents and parents-in-lawsSponsoring a fuel-saving bike to drive to office Gift cards for occasions like completion of 1, 3, 5 years of serviceI really could do with more suggestions here.EDIT:Thanks everyone for the response. To summarize, here are the additional things my HR could do: Matching contribution to employee retirement fund provided the employee contributesFunding continuing education, professional courses etc.Company subscription to ACM, IEEE, Safari Books etc. Meal vouchersMembership to gymsHosting a recreation room at officeSpot bonuses Time off for code spikes in recognition of individual contribution Sabbaticals
What kind of innovative non-cash financial benefits do I offer to my developers to retain them along with a competitive salary?
management
Paid lessons for anything they want - programming, human languages, music, arts etc.