Sarah Dowding looks at what young managers seek in a career and from their ideal employer.
Young managers exploring the market for their first job put career progression at the top of their choices when the IGD questioned a group of Leading Edge members.
Most respondents (39%) were from a manufacturing background and 26% from retailing ­ the remainder were from suppliers, logistics, and growers.
Nearly a third of those surveyed had been with their company for under a year and 30% had five years or more with the same employer.
Forty per cent of respondents said that when they had sought their first job, career progression had been the main priority in their choice of company, while 29% said continuous training and development had been a first priority.
They had also been keen to work for companies that were leaders in their fields, and had graduate programmes. Pay and benefits had ranked fifth.
The questionnaire also asked what benefits respondents had in their current job, and what they believed was the most important. More than 80% had a company pension and 65% were paid for their expenses such as petrol and a mobile phone.
Nearly two thirds received a bonus based on corporate performance and 57% were given a company car or car allowance.
This latter benefit is partly due to the nature of the industry, which often involves a lot of travelling.
More than half had private healthcare and insurance and a generous holiday entitlement.
Group members were then asked what they thought were the most desirable benefits to have. The amount of holiday was seen as the most important benefit, perhaps because people increasingly see the need to take a break from work and holidays are growing cheaper.
A pension scheme was the second most important benefit of choice. Company contributions are valued and more people are planning earlier for their retirement.
More than three quarters of those questioned wanted a bonus based on individual performance.
Following those top three choices, the favoured perks were private healthcare and a company car.
When comparing respondents' actual perks and most wanted perks, demand for profit sharing was nearly three times the number of those who already benefited from a scheme and for every employee who worked flexible hours another 2.6 employees wanted to be given the option.
Two benefits appeared to have declined in popularity ­ corporate bonuses and free or subsidised lunches.

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