Show me the money

According to Latest Monster Meter, Better Salary Tops List of Benefits for Irish and European Workers

Irish workers rank better pay and more holidays as the most important factors when it comes to improving their benefits package,

Swedes play it Safe! They are only exception in Europe, preferring a higher pension to more money!

When negotiating a new job, salary is usually the most, and sometimes the only, component of an overall compensation package that is discussed.

While there are other job benefits that shouldn’tít be forgotten, according to results from the latest Monster Meter poll, there is a compelling reason why prospective employers should focus on money when offering a candidate to accept a job offer or a new role.

Is money really what we care about? Would the thought of having more time off not be tempting? The latest Monster Meter asked 17,358 Europeans the question ìIf you had to choose one item over the others listed below as part of your employment benefits package, what would you choose?î

The Irish poll revealed that:

55% chose ìBetter salary / Bonusî

31% chose ìMore holidaysî

10% chose ìPensionî

2% chose ìMobile phone / Internet paidî

2% chose ìGym allowanceî

ìFinancial remuneration is the main motivator at work, and it is no surprise that the Irish along with the majority of European workers choose a better salary or bonus when asked how they would like their benefits package improved upon,î says Alan Townsend, Managing Director, Monster Ireland.

ìHow employees are remunerated is key, other perks are usually regarded as extras. To ensure staff retention and improve employee satisfaction, it is important to maintain open dialogue with staff with regard to their priorities and how they wish to be rewarded for their good work.î

The results of the survey conducted by Monster show that the French and Finnish rate a better salary or bonus higher than other European nationalities. According to the FedEEís (Federation of European Employers) ìPay in Europe 2004î report, the French and Finns are ranked 14th and 15th respectively in the European Average Employee Earnings League Table, hence they have a convincing reason to wish for better pay. The Danish and Swiss top the FedEEís table, as the highest paid country in Europe.

Swedish workers are most concerned about their future earnings, with 63% of respondents choosing a pension as the most important item in their benefits package. On the other hand, French (3%) and Finnish (5%) workers are the least concerned about pensions, the results indicate that having money to enjoy the moment is most important to them.

When it comes to holidays, the British and Irish top the list, with 40% and 31% respectively, claiming they could do with some more time off. Popular belief in Ireland is that there are not enough public holidays. This is certainly reflected in the Monster poll. Irish workers get 9 public holidays, versus 14 in Spain and Portugal and 12 in Italy. Holidays are also important for Swiss (45%), Spanish (32%) and Danish (32%) workers, whilst Finnish workers (11%) donít seem to be that keen on extra days off.

Perks such as free Internet access, a paid for mobile phone or a gym allowance do not rate highly on the agenda for European workers, though 8% of Norwegians said they would like a free mobile phone or have Internet access paid for. Dutch workers are the most keen on exercise, with 7% claiming that they would like a gym allowance.

Whatever the options, there is always room for improvement when it comes to reviewing benefits packages - we all agree on that one!

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster.ie. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users’ opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. Anyone interested in voting in Monster’s current online poll may do so by logging onto: