Some insight on staying vs. leaving

Here's more interesting and useful data from the "1999 Information Technology Market Compensation Study" by People3.

• Sixty percent of employees who resigned in the last 12 months had been with their organization for five years or less. Employees that leave after 10 years account for only 23% of all employees who resigned in the past 12 months.
• One of the primary reasons IT professionals leave their jobs (not at all surprisingly) is they were "made an offer too good to refuse." "Lack of career development opportunities," however, also figured very prominently in the reasons for leaving.

• Other big reasons for turnover include work location (commuting issues) and major company reorganizations.
• One particularly interesting discovery is the difference between the cultures of the IT organization and the parent company. A sense of belonging to a community and ownership of their work were listed as important factors. In companies whose IT culture and enterprise culture are dissimilar, IT professionals feel disconnected and unappreciated, and they lack a sense of pride in the community.
• While the data suggest that turnover is driven by employees seeking market-based pay, it is not the most important factor. A very high 82% of the responders said that a challenging technical environment is the most important factor influencing then to stay put.
• Strong IT leadership, flexible work hours and career development all play a very important role in developing an environment that will help retain IT professionals.
• Companies who invest in retention programs and tactics do, in fact, have lower turnover. But it's best not to design a "one size fits all" type of retention system. Plan your programs around your geographic location, employee demographics and age groups, etc.

This information is taken from the "1999 Information Technology Market Compensation Study" prepared by PEOPLE3 - a Gartner Group Company.

Amy Schurr is an editor for Network World's Management Strategies and Features sections. If you have any career topics you'd like her to cover or want to comment on this newsletter, you can reach her at aschurr@nww.com.

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