User: robv

Re:Sweeten the pot and hope for the best

On: What's The Best Way To Retain Trained Employees?

Foosball (I presume that's american for table football), pool tables etc are all well and good but I'd much prefer:

1. Interesting and challenging problems. Work goes so much faster when you're enjoying it.
2. Good management. That means estimating deadlines and staffing for projects that don't depend on me working weekends or nights to complete it on time. I'll do it if I have to, but I don't like my employer taking it for granted.
3. Training. I like learning new skills, and finding companies that actually offer training (as opposed to ones that claim to, someday, when our workload allows time for it...) is increasingly difficult.
4. A good basic salary. Few stock options or profit related pay. I'm on a salary because I want a reliable income, if I wanted to take risks I'd become a contractor or start up my own company. I may do that someday but when I do it'll be my decision and until then I don't appreciate my employers telling me that effectively I have to gamble a portion of my salary on their decisions.
5. Less gimmicks. Good company is worth so much more. If I want to play pool, I go to the pub round the corner.

Some of your points aren't particularly relevant in the UK:
Companies have to give at least 20 working days paid holiday a year (ie 4 weeks). That's from the Working Time Regs in response to EU Directives so I presume you can expect similar or better throughout Europe.
They must also suppy drinking water and there's good free healthcare on the NHS.

-robin

Re:But the NZ SIS are a bunch of cowboys ....

On: NZ Government Pushes For Wide Spying Powers

Usually Resident Population, 1996

Wellington........................334,051
Upper Hutt Zone.............35,192
Lower Hutt Zone.............95,381
Porirua Zone....................46,492
Wellington Zone...........156,986
Christchurch.............. ........325,250

source: www.stats.govt.nz