According to our latest survey nearly two thirds (59 percent) of IT pros are not loyal to their work. And when asked, more than half (52 percent) said they didn’t believe that IT workers tended to be loyal in their employment. In fact, 80 per cent indicated that they will be looking for a new IT job in 2011.

The main reasons for their lack of loyalty were:

• management not listening
• the companies they work for cut corners
• they don’t feel valued
• poor salary

The banking and finance sectors were highlighted as being those with the biggest movement of IT workers – standing at 34 percent.

Of the 41 percent who are loyal to their work, 45 percent said it because they are working on exciting projects, and another 45 percent advised it was because they like the teams they work with.

Clearly the survey highlights that companies need to improve their communication with staff and make them feel more valued. The UK IT skills shortage means that the best talent will be snapped up, and potential new employers need to stand out and show the benefits of working for them. It seems next year will be another exciting one for the IT recruitment sector.

So what about you? Tell us what gets you jumping out of bed in the morning… or hitting the snooze button!

Image from Localseoguide.com
The other day my colleagues and I were all busying ourselves shaking, dusting, spraying and polishing our monitors, phones and keyboards.

The reason?

It was all down to this article on the BBC.

I’m not one of those people that is constantly cleaning and obsessing, but it did make me think. We become so comfortable in our daily lives that we do forget about these things.

And now that winter is officially here and everyone has started sniffling, maybe you’ll think twice before you pick up the phone?

Ever find your day dragging? Do you pop to the shop or have a quick read of the news to help pass the time? Whether you’re at work or hunting for IT jobs, don’t you find some days are more productive than others?

Our latest survey looked at what makes individuals more productive and shown a clear link between good management and productivity in IT workers.

Works a Treat
The largest single motivator for productivity is “satisfaction of finishing a project and knowing I’ve done a good job” (85.6%) supporting previous findings that IT professionals are in fact extremely dedicated employees.

Money and earning respect from colleagues are also significant motivators, which point to the need for managers to create a culture of praise and reward for good work.

Other areas that enhance productivity include:
- being able to see progress by ticking off tasks (60%)
- working on their own (60.4%)
- more effective in the morning (58.6%)

Not in a day’s work
On the flipside, 65.8% indicated that the biggest negative factor on productivity is lack of clarity in instructions for the task in hand, showing that the direction you receive from management can have a real impact on your output.

Interruptions from colleagues (48.6%) and noisy offices (51.4%) have a negative effect on productivity – this is again something that managers can influence. And whilst some IT workers admit to having been distracted by games on their phone, online banking and online shopping, news websites are, surprisingly, a far bigger lure for procrastinators.

It became clear that many people are extending their productivity by prolonging their day, either by working overtime, working from home, or starting early, something managers should be aware of to avoid ‘burn out’. Also, take regular breaks – after all, you are entitled to them!

Set a work schedule in advance, agreed with your direct manager. Setting expectations up front will ensure that the goalposts don’t move and that you can remain focussed and effective. And if you are overworked and need a change, don’t forget to view the latest IT jobs here.

Remember the days when Monday mornings were no trouble? No? Me neither.

It seems to be universally accepted that Mondays are horrible days where everyone rolls into the office still half asleep hoping that this fourth triple shot Americano with about 10 sugars will wake them up.

An apple a day…

I read today that actually apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning, enabling you to do your job more effectively. ‘Crazy’, I hear you say! ‘I don’t believe it’ (in Victor Meldrew-esque voice) I hear you cry!

But apparently apples do not contain the chemical tryptophan which makes you sleepy (it’s found in turkey, for those of you fond of that post Christmas lunch doze). Nor does it give us a sudden jolt of energy followed by a crash or make us agitated as caffeine can.

This got me to thinking how many people in this office alone come in several times a day with a disposable coffee cup in hand – which, let me tell you, cannot be good for the environment.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Perhaps we should all be eating crunchy apples instead, reducing our carbon footprint and being healthy in the process, or at least getting closer to the recommended 5-a-day.

Maybe that idea won’t catch on, but I propose a trial next Monday morning to see if an apple can indeed wake us up better than the usual coffee.

And for those who really can’t face Monday mornings without a million coffees – may I suggest reusable cups?

Anyone outside London will have been fortunate enough to have had a hassle free journey to work last week in comparison to the millions of miserable Londoners faced with a 36 hour tube strike.

The issue shrouding this year’s strike was not pay but rather jobs cuts, highlighting safety being compromised due to a lack of staff on duty and stations becoming magnets for crime.

Fair enough, but it got me thinking about the trade unions, especially as this week was the TUC’s Annual Congress. What is there in the way of a trade union for IT professionals and would you want to join one anyway?

Power to the people

Just because you join a union, doesn’t make you a trouble maker. Maybe you just haven’t got round to it or though it wasn’t relevant to what you do.

The only downside is that for some unions you must pay for membership. But having someone to ensure that your rights are protected; that your voice and opinions are heard can’t be a bad thing, right?

Last year we ran a survey, which revealed that many IT professionals work long hours without overtime, and now that remote working and Blackberrys are so common, when do you ever really switch off from work?

This is exactly the kind of situation that unions are supposed to protect you from.

Contractor protection

PCG is a union that represents freelancers from all industry sectors but I have heard that it has become quite popular among IT contractors, possibly as a result of the introduction of the IR35 legislation in April 2000.

WorkSmart, a division of TUC, also has a union finder, as does Unite the Union. Might be worth a look.

Permanent protection

If you are wondering which union to join, TUC has a search function allowing you to track down unions relevant to you.

If, however, your company has already established a union, it would probably make sense for you to join that one, as it will be more relevant to your daily life and will focus on issues particular to your company. It will also be much easier to get hold of your union rep and logistically easier to organise meetings and so on.

Those of you working in the public sector could also check out Unison, which seems to be the biggest player here.

The balance of power

It seems to me that most unions are formed as a result of an issue within an organisation. Should the need for a union never arise, why would anyone form one? Perhaps conditions within the IT industry are not that bad and therefore the choice of unions is very small.

How many of you are members of a union and what have they done for you recently? Have you been on strike or taken part in any protests?

Let us know by posting a comment or get involved and write your own IT blog!

During the build up to the first match and World Cup fever spreading like wild fire throughout the country, we decided to run a quick survey to discover just how badly IT professionals wanted to watch the games. We also surveyed HR and IT managers to find out if they had also made plans for their employees to watch the games and how prepared they were for a potential increase in staff absenteeism.

IT professionals’ plans for the World Cup

With only 14 percent of IT pros having booked annual leave to watch the matches, and a mere 8 percent admitting they will call in sick to watch the England games, it seems that companies won’t have suffered from issues relating to staff absenteeism.

Perhaps World Cup fever before the event wasn’t as rife as we thought.

What was even more surprising is that nearly two thirds (62 percent) said they wouldn’t be watching any games during working hours.

Since the last World Cup in Germany in 2006, more than half of respondents suggested that their viewing habits had changed over recent years, moving to more online mediums – so it’s no wonder the BBC reported an online surge in UK internet traffic during World Cup games, even if it was just to get a quick update on the latest scores.

And it seems people needed to have a sneaky check online as only 21 percent of respondents stated that their employers had put plans in place to enable them to watch key games during working hours. 15 percent also thought their companies were stricter this year than for the previous World Cup in 2006 – perhaps a reflection of the current economic climate and then need to maximise staff activity.

Managers plans for the World Cup

In terms of employers, 68 percent advised that they were not concerned about absenteeism issues. However, over three quarters (80 percent) were permitting flexible working hours, and exactly half (50 percent) advised they would allow staff to take time off. This does not correlate with the responses of IT professionals so perhaps some of you had a surprise in store at 3pm last Wednesday.

England Vs Germany

The survey results suggest that staff absenteeism simply hasn’t posed a problem. Well, if we manage to beat Germany on Sunday maybe people will change their mind…

I’d urge all fans to up their game. If we make it through and England play again and an employer’s gone to the trouble of making arrangements for staff to watch the match, seize the opportunity. Grab your workmates, order in a pizza and take advantage. If you hate the sound of the vuvuzelas, yell your support at the top of your voices. But, Sunday afternoon may be your last chance…