The top ten most influential employment incentives for Gen X and Y are:
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Advancement opportunities
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Performance-based bonuses, salary increases
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Excellent benefits package
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New challenges, variety of interesting projects
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Pension or retirement savings plan
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High salary
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Meaningful work, opportunities to make a difference
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Recognition, feedback
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Flexible work hours, telecommuting
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Mentoring, coaching
Are companies offering the things Gen X and Y workers want? Not typically, according to a second David Aplin Recruiting survey of over 1000 Canadian hiring managers. The top two things most organizations commonly offer are support of local charities and a casual dress code, neither one making the employee top-ten list. Less than two-thirds of companies offer the incentives most sought after by Gen X and Y workers.
In addition to offering the incentives that Gen X and Y want most, employers can stand apart from the crowd by offering perks that are in relatively high demand, but very few companies are currently offering them. These include:
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Signing bonuses
- Subsidized transportation
- Free fitness memberships
- Company stock options
The surveys were conducted over April and May 2008 and included employees and employers from across Canada.
Barrie Carlyle is a Vice-President of David Aplin Recruiting, a Canadian-owned national full-service search firm with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa and Halifax, plus affiliates in Montréal and the U.S.