Steve Ulfelder of ComputerWorld has a great article on Best Balance: How Top Employers Keep IT Staffers Happy. He interviews employees and employers to find their tips on hiring and retaining IT talent.
Interviews with Best Places IT organizations (see the complete Best Place to Work in IT 2006 special report) uncover few secrets but much common ground where employee retention is concerned. The keys are careful hiring, a commitment to promoting from within, tireless training and -- perhaps most important -- challenging projects that offer workers the chance to handle hot technologies. Great benefits don't hurt, either.
His findings:
- Promoting from within means you only have to hirer entry level employees.
- Training, training, training...and education.
- Use consultants or borrow from other groups during urgent needs so that you don't have to lay off employees during a downturn or when a project is completed.
- Ensure your consultant are there for knowledge transfer, too.
What I find interesting is that many of these tips are anti-patterns in some shops. I remember working for a client who insisted that his department have no interns or entry level position. He believed that this somehow 'elevated' his status.
Many employers withhold training for fear of losing IT staff who now have a greater skill set. Yes, that happens, especially in government an education, where staff salaries are highly controlled and well below market value. That means, though, that these employers must provide other benefits such as comp time, flex time, etc. to make up the difference.
Finally, the recommendation to use use contractors might seem conflicting advice. Some full time employees I've worked with see consultant positions as money that could have been used to hirer a full timer..or two or three. Yes, in some cases contractors are used to lower wages, but for a true consulting professional, there is no desire or need to fill a regular full timer role. We often want to be the catalyst to allow the organization to get on track, farther down the track, or to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Every employee has something they want out of their employment, just as employers do. This article shows that it isn't just salary and pay stubs.