Flexible Working More Important Than Salary for New Graduates

New research commissioned by the mobile phone provider Orange found the class of 2010 to place flexible working and happiness in their role ahead of their level of salary.

Of the 1,000 university leavers Orange found the top 5 areas of importance for their first job to be were:

Networking

Alongside the key focus on technology focus comes the significance of social networks with 43% respondents feeling that access to networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn is key as they begin to build up their contact lists for their professional development.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

There are plenty of budding young businessmen and women out there with almost 1 in 10 of the respondents planning to start their own business straight after graduation.

This further reinforces research from Orange’s Entreprenation report, which highlighted Britain as a nation of entrepreneurs, with more than half of respondents (51%) having considered setting up or already established their own businesses.

Working Beyond the Office

With 270,000 students graduating this year it is expected around 50% will go straight into the workforce either in a job they have already secured or a job they secure post graduation. Interestingly with this in mind an overwhelming 81% of those surveyed by Orange do not necessarily want an office-based job.

We are in an era of technology and the class of 2010’s expectations mirror this, a new generation of employees who want work wherever and whenever it suits them and have the technology to do so.

They expect to be able to work on the move and make use of tools like social media and the internet wherever they are, businesses must embrace this to make the most of their young talent.

This might include offering a suite of employee benefits, not just traditional paid for insurance benefits such as Group Life Insurance, Group Income Protection or Corporate Health Insurance but more basic benefits such as flexible working / flexi-time and unlimited annual leave to entice the best talent of this new generation of workers.