In part 1 of this article we uncovered the latest pulse of tech-employee engagement—along with a peek into the differences that are fueling its low ratings. Today we continue with three more ways to refocus your workforce strategies on this all-important employee group, as suggested within fresh research by Willis Towers Watson.
 |
Tops on Your Tech Staff’s List
The chance to be challenged. After salary, the importance of doing challenging work is currently the second-most important driver of attraction for techies, while it’s just the fourth-most important for your full employee group. Furthermore, job security—currently the second-most important attraction driver for all employees—ranks as fifth-most important for techies. What’s the implication here? Your messages should be tailored to different job candidates on the basis of what’s most important to them. And while the average employee might want to hear about job security, the techie needs to understand exactly how he or she will be challenged by the work.
The learning opportunity. How about this for an interesting and rather compelling distinction: The chance to learn new skills is among the top seven drivers of retention for techies, whereas the issue doesn’t even appear on the list as a must-have for all employees. Plus, while the ability to manage work stress ranks as the fifth-most important retention driver for all employees, it’s completely absent from the techies’ list. The upshot? If you’re concerned about losing tech employees, focus on finding ways to help them gain new skills rather than offering them another stress-management program.
The flexible work environment. In attracting techies, vacation/paid time off doesn’t make the top of the list as it does for the full employee population. Instead, it’s eclipsed by flexible work arrangements. This makes sense, the report notes, given that much of the work done by tech workers can be done anywhere and, indeed, may even benefit from periods of isolation and concentration (software coding, for example).
Bottom line: If you’re searching for a better understanding of how to manage and influence technology employees, develop focused ways to meet their individualized needs—separate and distinct from the rest of your workforce. Doing so could shake up the status quo and lift your success in keeping these key members of your team more fully engaged.