With millennial employees now ascendant in workplaces across the land, managers are grappling with how to hire, retain and engage them.
Benefits Canada’s sister publication Canadian Business’ continuing series “Hey Millennial!” senior correspondent Anna Fitzpatrick answers our burning questions about how to approach this exotic species of office fauna.
We hear millennials crave snacks and beer carts even more than a raise. Is that true?
This question is like trying to pick between having a dog that can do coffee runs and being best friends with Rihanna: a fun game that has little bearing on reality. Like many post-recession pros, I rotate through freelance and contract gigs to earn dough, which made me give serious side-eye to a recent Glassdoor survey finding that 89 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds would prefer more perks to a pay raise.
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Read: 25% of recognition programs ineffective for millennials: survey
I brought this up with Lauren Friese, a consultant and the founder of youth job site TalentEgg, who says the “money doesn’t matter” stereotype comes from anxiety about finding steady work: “In an interview, you’re not going to say, ‘Well, you pay a lot, and that is what’s most important to me.’” As with others before us, we millennials want a comfortable, living wage — something even killer office snacks can’t replace.
This article was originally published on Benefits Canada‘s sister publication, Canadian Business