Work/life balance issues play a more important role than ever in keeping top information technology (IT) talent, according to a new survey. Eighty-eight percent of U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) polled said that offering programs that meet their employees' needs is more important than it was five years ago. Flexible hours and personal days led the list of benefits offered.
The survey was developed by RHI Consulting, a leading specialized consulting firm that provides information technology professionals on a project basis. Conducted by an independent research firm, the survey includes responses from 1,400 CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with more than 100 employees.
CIOs were asked, "How important is it today versus five years ago for employees to provide flexible hours and other programs that help employees balance work and personal time when trying to attract and retain information technology staff?" Their responses:
- Much more important - 53%
- Somewhat more important - 35%
- No change - 10%
- Somewhat less important - 0%
- Much less important - 0%
- Don't know - 2%
CIOs were also asked, "Which of the following benefits, if any, do you offer your information technology staff?" Survey participants were allowed more than one response. Their responses:
- Flexible hours - 73%
- Paid time off (personal days) - 72%
- Part-time work - 38%
- Telecommuting - 34%
- Job sharing - 27%
- Sabbaticals - 12%
- Training/education/professional development - 4%
- Medical/health benefits/dental insurance - 3%
"The competitive IT labor market has made it imperative for more companies to offer their staff a better balance between work and personal life," said Greg Scileppi, executive director of RHI Consulting. "In order to attract and retain IT talent, businesses must have a well-thought-out strategy in place that includes progressive benefits in addition to traditional programs such as medical and dental insurance. Even the strongest employers could seem less enticing to prospective job candidates if they fail to offer employee-friendly programs," he added.
Scileppi said that while flexible hours, paid time off, telecommuting and part-time work have all become "mainstream" work/life programs, job sharing has seen a notable increase in popularity among employers -- as indicated by more than one-quarter of respondents surveyed.
"Technology professionals are increasingly turning to consulting and project work as a means to achieve a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives," Scileppi added. "Consulting also offers diverse projects, fresh challenges and the opportunity to develop new technical skills -- all on an individuals own timeline."
RHI Consulting provides firms with skills IT professionals for projects ranging from multi-platform systems integration to help desk and network support. It has more than 100 locations in North America and Europe, and offers online job search services at
http://www.rhic.com.
