When we hire younger employees and then worry about retaining them, it is pretty evident these days that perks could make or break your results. Competing during a talent shortage changes the game and requires employers to understand the benefits that are important to these generations.  We all know that salary is not the primary reason for leaving a job.

It's July, and that means that across the country college seniors have graduated and are entering the workforce. They’ve got good reason to be optimistic. CNBC reports that companies are looking to hire 16 percent more graduates than they did in 2018. In fact, it’s the biggest increase in hiring since 2007, the last class to graduate before the Great Recession.

In a tight labor market, a candidate’s potential commute can make a job more or less attractive. HumanResources reports that a quarter of employees surveyed had left a job because of the commute. When looking at just Millennials, the number jumps to one third. Employees can be choosy, selecting a job that offers more of what they want, and that means less of a commute. Companies can work around this by offering transportation amenities, flexible scheduling or more remote working opportunities.

Millennials, commonly but not exclusively defined as people born between 1981 and 1996, occupy a complicated space in today’s workplace—predominantly because they’re the youngest generation in it. While many consider this group “ambitious” and “tech-savvy,” others understand it to be “whiney,” “distracted,” or “entitled.” As with any stereotype, this is a flat, un-nuanced version of a partial truth. The most important thing to remember, says Brad Karsh, CEO and founder of JBTraining Solutions, is that each generation in the workforce—from Boomers to Millennials—has been shaped by their upbringing.