Employers will find it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain high calibre staff without attractive employee benefit and remuneration packages. Mr Kieran Kelly, managing director of Coyle Hamilton Employee Benefit and Investments, told a conference companies need to increasingly focus on providing incentive schemes. Mr Simon Wasserman warned of the need to be creative when designing employee benefit schemes, pointing to the experience in the US, where flexible benefits have led to greater employee empowerment and a feeling of individuality. "Appreciation by employees of the benefits package improves the employers recruitment prospects. The other advantage from the employers point of view is cost containment."