Some employers use company culture, with generous perks, to stand out in a competitive labor market. For example, plumbing business owner Vinnie Sposari offers benefits including company vehicles, cellphone reimbursement and tuition coverage for those who want to become licensed plumbers.

Wells Fargo has introduced Greenhouse, an app that helps gig workers manage money, says Peggy Mangot, head of Greenhouse development. The app is available in only a few states, but the bank hopes to make it national.

A video content management system helps companies bolster hiring and development, writes Sean Gordon, CEO of vidREACH. Gordon outlines six ways to use such a system to better screen, train and coach staffers.

Companies in New England and the Northeast led the nation in the cost of employee compensation in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data show an average of $42.06 per hour worked, compared with a national average of $34.53.

To improve data literacy, HR should provide more training and encourage a workplace culture that embraces the technology, writes Julian Quinn, regional vice president for Qlik in Asia-Pacific. "HR must work with key business decision-makers to develop a framework that incorporates a vision and strategic plan to achieve a data literacy nirvana and ensure sustainability and longevity," Quinn writes.

Patagonia has always been committed to helping the environment, but it has a renewed corporate focus of "save our home planet," says founder Yvon Chouinard. "Whenever we have a job opening, all things being equal, hire the person who's committed to saving the planet no matter what the job is," he says.