The department store group John Lewis has begun monitoring the
origin of e-mails sent to its IT department after a series of
defections by senior IT staff.
Five senior IT professionals have left the company to join the IT
department of credit rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P)
over the past two years.
Although poaching is common in the financial services industry, the
defections are a blow to the retailer, which prides itself on a
staff retention rate far above the industry average.
The staff movement has also prompted John Lewis to review its
salary structure to ensure that its rates are competitive with
rival employers, amid the IT skills shortage.
The defections began when Christopher Down, head of central systems
at John Lewis, which has about 550 IT staff, left to become
regional practice leader responsible for IT at S&P.
Down has built up S&P's IT department, based in London's
Finsbury Circus, from 17 to 50 as the company expands its European
operations.
S&P is understood to have offered new recruits salaries which
are significantly higher than the pay rates offered by John Lewis.
One section head and several team leaders are among those to have
joined S&P from the retailer.
Other John Lewis staff have made approaches to S&P, but have
not been offered work.
"Down was given a war chest of cash to recruit an IT department,
which he did. But a number of our people turned it down. They
decided they had a better future with John Lewis and were a bit
wary of cheque-book recruitment," said one senior IT professional
at the retailer.
John Lewis said it conducts regular audits of IT salaries.
Recruitment experts said that although poaching was widespread in
financial services, it often went unreported.
"Poaching is very common in financial services, especially if
people in management positions go. A senior person leaves and other
people go with them. I think it is more common than most people let
on," said Richard Moule, senior manager at anti-headhunting
advisory firm, David Charles.
Moule said it was not unusual for companies to monitor e-mails to
protect staff from approaches from headhunters.
Bill Goodwin
bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk