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As businesses operate with flatter management structures due in part to restructuring of workplaces over recent years employers need to build sideways careers to attract and retain recognition-hungry, Gen Y professionals.

That's the view of New Zealander Dr Ray Glennon who says that since the 90s, many businesses have been moving away from hierarchies that contain several layers of management through which people could be promoted. That leaves Gen-Ys, those born between 1978 and 1994, with nowhere to go.

So with flatter layers, what are companies to do with career hungry Gen-Yers who see themselves as being independent, socially conscious and technologically savvy. Glennon, director at psychometric assessment firm SHL, says vertical promotions are now less frequent and management positions more demanding.

"Many professionals are generalists' working across various functions. Therefore vertical promotion is not necessarily available, let alone sought-after. However, employees' appetites for promotion and reward have not been reduced," he says.

According to Glennon, employers need to offer sideways promotions', that could include moving staff into another department or expanding an existing role. Basically, anything that will keep the staff from looking elsewhere.

"Sideways promotions help retain and motivate people while preparing them to step into a broader senior management role in the future," he says.

Leigh Johnson of recruitment firm The Johnson Group says Generation Y is a different breed of worker when compared to their Baby Boomer and Gen X counterparts.

"They express career loyalty, rather than loyalty to an employer, and seek employment opportunities that complement their lifestyle and provide cross-functional training, career development and overseas travel. Research has also found that Gen Y'ers rank personal fulfillment over financial gain," she says.

Johnson says because of this attitude, managers need to tune into Generation Y's "unique characteristics and create a recruitment programme tailored to their preferences".

"You attract employees by understanding their motivating factors," says Johnson. "As such, recruitment strategies for Generation Y'ers should focus on the mentoring, culture and training opportunities of an organization, and how the candidate will fit within this.

"If you want to keep a candidate interested, you need to be in contact with them, making sure they know what the next step is, and when the decisions will be made."

To do this, Glennon

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