IT directors need
to bring back dotcom-style perks to stop key staff jumping ship to
more lucrative contracting jobs.
Numbers of IT
contractors are swelling fast – up from 5% a year ago to 25% of all
IT workers today – lured not only by the better pay, but also an
improved work-life balance, according to a ReThink Recruitment
survey.
“A lot of
employers have become complacent about staff retention in their IT
departments and are now paying the price as mission-critical
projects lose key staff,” says Jon Butterfield, managing director
at ReThink Recruitment.
Pay incentives
remain a key way of keeping staff. With IT employment levels
running at almost half the national average at 2.7%, companies are
returning to aggressive poaching tactics to keep fully staffed.
ReThink suggests companies should increase the rate at which they
benchmark their salaries to ensure they remain competitive.
IT heads should
also get creative and find other incentives to keep staff,
including better training and development and fast-track programmes
for high achievers. Secondments are a good way of keeping people’s
morale up, alongside offering flexible and remote working.
Firms should also
look to pre-dotcom perks such as bonuses for long-serving staff and
share options to encourage staff to stay put.
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