One of our clients most frequently asked questions is, “how can I make sure my IT contractor stays until the end?” Whether it’s a manager on a multiyear, multimillion dollar software development project or a Java developer filling in for maternity leave, losing an employee before you are ready is a problem; a problem that costs your business time and money.
Our new eGuide, 6 Things You Can Do to Dramatically Increase IT Contractor Retention, summarizes best practices and provides practical advice that we hope our clients, friends and the readers of Staffing 360 can use to improve retention. In it, we discuss how understanding the interplay and importance of the following six items can make a big difference in your company’s ability to manage IT contractor turnover.
- COMMUNICATION
- INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES
- TENURE POLICIES: HOW THEY HELP AND HURT RETENTION
- BENEFITS
- RETENTION BONUSES
- PLAN FOR TURNOVER TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS
Obviously I think the entire eGuide is insightful, but I want to particularly draw your attention to #2 since it is especially specific to the IT industry. All business people are interested in keeping their skills up to date, or they should be, but IT professionals are particularly keen to do so for personal and professional reasons. If the positions your company is trying to fill involve work on new or emerging technologies or projects that expose the contractor to skills and experiences that are in demand, you can make that work for you. Of course salary is important too but we do have contractors who take lower paying assignments because of the opportunity to work on something “cool and new.”
I also hope that this eGuide reminds us all that employees are people and people are complex beings influenced by multifaceted motives. I think our advice is good, and I hope you agree, but I also encourage you to learn from us AND from others. In the Communication section of the eGuide, we provide links to surveys, studies and other blogs on the subject to allow you to read for yourself. Learning how to motivate employees is something good managers continue to learn throughout their career; you never know it all!
It is also important to keep in mind that people change; their career goals evolve as their life circumstances change, and what they want from their job and what motivates them changes too. What matters to a recent IT college graduate is not necessarily the same as what motivates a mid-career mobile apps guru. Understanding that you will never find one perfect way to make all your employees happy, but instead must continually assess the current circumstances and use a range of tools, is the path to success. It’s an ongoing process that requires effort but will pay dividends.
I hope you find our advice useful and would love to hear from you. If you’re an employer, please share what you’ve found that works at your company, and if you’re a contractor, please add your voice to the discussion and let us know what motivates you.
Download 6 Things You Can Do to Dramatically Increase IT Contractor Retention
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