Career
Watch
Green with
motivation
Among the interesting bits of information contained
in Dice’s annual salary survey was data suggesting
that employers are doing more to hang on to talented IT staffers. In the 2011 survey, the percentage
of respondents who said they were given no motivation was lower than it was in 2009 and 2010. And
when respondents were asked to name their primary motivators, the percentages of those who cited increased compensation or a
promotion or new title were higher this year than in the past. Dropping as primary
motivators were more interesting or challenging assignments and flexible hours.
47.4%
None — no motivator provided
More interesting or challenging assignments
Increased compensation
Flexible work hours
2009
2010
2011
Promotion or new title
Training and certification courses
High-level recognition
0
2%
4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18%20%
SOURCE: 2012 DICE TECH SALARY SURVEY, CONDUCTED ONLINE WITH 18,325 EMPLOYED TECHNOLOGY
PROFESSIONALS IN THE FALL OF 2011
Ask A premIer 100
It leAder
Linda
Zafonte
The CIO at the NYS Insurance
Fund answers questions about
bailing out on a ‘toxic’
workplace and more.
I work in a smallish It department, and I’ve always
liked it. A few months ago, a big wave of layoffs took
us from about 50 employees to under 40, and a new
CIo was brought in. Now the atmosphere seems toxic,
with suspicion and backbiting replacing our old camaraderie. Can this situation be turned around, or
should I bail out? A decision to leave or stay at a company
should take multiple factors into consideration. If you were
previously satisfied with your employer and challenged in
your position, it would be best to wait and see if things calm
down. You could also approach the new CIO and ask how
you can help him achieve his objectives. This would help you
see the larger picture, and it could position you to become a
trusted member of the new CIO’s team.
my company’s attitude toward training is that It em-
ployees make good salaries, so we should be able to
pay our own way. And we should invest in ourselves
if we want to stay employed. Needless to say, this is
an unpopular policy, and
I know many good people
who have left because of it.
personally, I don’t like to
give up without a fight. How
can I, one It director among
many, effect change? Has
anyone tried to present training
in terms of the return on invest-
ment? It’s always good to use data as a means to persuade.
I would consider doing a comparison of the costs of internal
full-time employees vs. the costs of consultants, if this is
relevant to your company. Also, how does the attrition rate in
IT compare to the rate in other departments? And how much
does it cost to recruit new employees (in terms of advertis-
ing, website services, placement fees, etc.)?
If you have a question
for one of our Premier
100 I T Leaders, send
it to askaleader@
computerworld.com,
and watch for this
column each month.
what are the most valuable skills to possess in a
cloud-dominated It world? It’s becoming very critical to
have people in IT who can communicate with cloud providers and determine how to integrate the services into business processes and existing internal systems. IT needs to
help the business find solutions that take time-to-market,
cost, risk and long-term planning into consideration. It’s becoming crucial to embrace external cloud offerings for both
business process and infrastructure.
