February 2016: Best Ways to Keep Employees Happy and Productive

“If you can hire people whose passion intersects with the job, they won’t require any supervision at all. They will manage themselves better than anyone could have ever manage them. Their fire comes from within, not from without.” Stephen Covey

As the economy rebounds and the IT job market competes for top talent, employees are given more bargaining power requiring managers to get creative with ways to keep employees happy and productive.  Below are two articles with important tips on retention.

Negotiating a Flexible Work Schedule
Full-time tech pros work an average of 52 hours per week, according to a recent survey by SpiceWorks, with 18 percent saying they log 60 or more hours. While most professionals are willing to work hard in order to pursue a career in tech, they would like to have at least some say over when they work. But negotiating a flexible schedule with a new employer is often easier said than done. Read full article

Culture: Why It’s The Hottest Topic In Business Today
Last year Merriam Webster’s dictionary stated that “culture” was the most popular word of the year. Well, it has now become one of the most important words in corporate board rooms, and for good reason. We have a retention crisis. New Deloitte research shows that culture, engagement, and employee retention are now the top talent challenges facing business leaders. Read full article


 

Security Corner:

In-demand IT professionals like Jonathan Villa, a senior cloud security architect for an IT security firm in the Midwest, gets unsolicited job offers all the time. A lot of other IT professionals who have profiles on LinkedIn are similarly bombarded by recruiters with lucrative salary and bonus offers for jobs in the technology field.  Read full article


 

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