Preferences for compensation options

An analysis of preferences for compensation options was performed for a sample of employees in one organization. The organization was sampled at two points in time, approximately one year apart. The first sample was a stratified random sample of managerial and nonmanagerial employees (N = 101). The second sample contained a repeat sample of 48 individuals and a random sample of 80 individuals for a total (N = 128). The sampling procedure allowed for both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. The analysis of compensation preferences was based on the set of compensation items currently available to all employees. The results indicated a marked stability of preferences for the longitudinal sample (N = 48), and a systematic crosssectional variance in preferences at both time periods based on age and salary levels of employees. The results of this research lend credence to both cafeteria-style compensation programs and portable pensions.