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By Tom Sheehan
The IT job market is recovering just as the economy continues to pick
up steam as corporate profits are rebounding. Companies that have put
off investment in new product development are rushing to get those
projects going. This requires top IT talent. What is the best way to
attract the best talent ( and keep the top notch talent that you
currently have ) offer telecommuting.
This is the conclusion of a new analysis by tech career site
Dice.com of the thousands of job listings employers have posted in
recent weeks. Only about 500 of the help-wanted ads, or fewer than 1%,
mention telecommuting as an option.
The other 99% are missing a great opportunity to attract their target
hires. A Dice survey of IT job seekers found that more than one-third
like the idea of telecommuting so much that they would be willing to
accept a 10% pay cut in exchange for working from home full-time.
"What's remarkable is that, even after two years of flattish
compensation, technology professionals are willing to sacrifice $7,800
on average to work from home," the report says. IT workers value their down time, and can be as productive at home as they can be in the office. This is most likely because of the nature of their work, it often requires intense concentration for long periods of time. Less distractions for them are embraced.
Rising gas prices don't seem to be a factor. The same survey,
conducted three years ago, yielded almost identical results. Alice Hill,
managing director of Dice.com, calls employers' reluctance to embrace
telecommuting "a conundrum. With an unemployment rate of just 4% among
tech professionals, and shortages in specific fields, flexibility
shouldn't be a last resort."
Hill states that allowing people to work remotely will help employers
by broadening the pool of talented candidates, catching "that person
whose skills and attitude fit, but whose proximity to the office is not
ideal."
"Done well, the benefits of telecommuting outweigh the risks," Hill
adds. "Maybe if we called it 'cloud commuting', CIOs would buy in."
Perhaps some will, at least those that are thinking strategically
will. After all 40% of the IBM workforce telecommutes on a routine
basis. If they can offer this perk and still deliver the type of
performance they have over the last decade then so can other tech
companies and IT departments.
Published by myITview.com
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