[I’ve been saying how the computer/IT industry is in DREADFUL shape… Well, here is a news article saying the same thing. Jan]

The information Technology (IT) industry, once the most sought-after of career options, is going through difficult times.

This has emerged from a survey of working conditions in the industry, the 2004 IT Staffing and Compensation Guide – an annual study released by the META Group.

Of the many areas of concern to IT organisations this year, few are as evident as employee morale, according to the report.

In fact, among more than 650 companies surveyed, more than 72% indicated that low IT employee morale is currently a serious issue.

‘The prolonged recession has taken its toll’
This is a problem that could spell longer-range staff turnover, lower productivity and less overall shareholder value to the organisation as a whole, if not timeously addressed.

Maria Schafer, senior programme director with Executive Directions at META Group and author of the annual IT Staffing and Compensation Guide, believes the prolonged recession – which has seen budget cuts across the enterprise, numerous staff cutbacks and general sector uncertainty – has definitely taken its toll on IT employee morale.

“The combination of these factors creates a difficult situation for the IT organisation: productivity is affected by having fewer skilled people, fewer investment dollars for projects and a perception that companies do not care about their workers and do not focus on retaining them,” she says.

META Group recommends addressing these issues proactively to avoid a loss of productivity.

“The IT organisation needs to take a broader view of these issues and turn them into challenges that ultimately can inspire new behaviours and better business performance,” Schafer says.

“This approach will also help develop essential experience and a knowledge base within the IT group.”

About 45% of companies surveyed have begun implementing employee recognition programmes as a means to boost morale, while 40% have increased skill development opportunities.

According to the survey, career and professional development programmes are used to improve employee morale in 23% and 10% of companies respectively, while only 4% of companies are offering spot monetary incentives to motivate and retain staff.

At the very least the majority of organisations are taking steps to assess the degree of employee dissatisfaction in their ranks.

Some 68% indicate that they conduct regular employee satisfaction surveys, while another 38% use some sort of performance review process to obtain employee feedback.

About 14% have placed suggestion boxes and use these as a means of keeping the lines of communication open.

META Group’s 2004 IT Staffing and Compensation Guide is the industry’s most definitive source of IT staffing and retention-related research.

For more information about the guide, visit www.metagroupsa.co.za or call 011 880 5644.

This article was originally published on page 2 of Cape Argus on July 07, 2004

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=3&click…/p>