Four ways to prepare for a 2010 employee exodus

Posted by: Matt Rivera

Computerworld released the findings of its 2009 Salary Survey today, and they really are not all that surprising. Salaries are flat, and benefits and bonuses were either reduced or slashed altogether. What’s more, of the nearly 6,000 IT professionals that were polled, 35 percent reported canceled projects (compared to 25 percent last year); 37 percent saw training cuts (again, compared to 25 percent last year); 65 percent experienced budget cuts (versus 53 percent in 2008); 51 percent saw salary freezes (versus 22 percent in 2008); and 48 percent saw hiring freezes (up from 33 percent last year). And 44 percent reported permanent layoffs.

You probably didn’t need these numbers to know that the past 11 months have been difficult. In many cases, you folks are probably the ones at the front lines, making the difficult decisions on who or what to cut.

But as bad as the past year has been, the tides are starting to change, and as the economy continues to improve, we can expect the circumstances at your organization to follow suit. The challenge now will be to make sure your talent stays with you through the upturn.

Let’s be realistic. Across the board, job satisfaction was low, and it’s likely the only reason some of your employees stuck with you through the recession was because pickings were slim. Like you, other organizations were cutting perks and staff; new positions and career opportunities were nonexistent.

But now, as companies begin to take on new projects and increase workloads, it’s likely we’ll start to see a jump in job openings. So the challenge now is to prepare for a possible employee exodus, and keep your talent from running off in search of greener pastures.

Here are four quick ideas (for more details, check out my full article in this week’s issue of Computerworld):

1. Develop close relationships with your employees.
2. Improve your employment brand.
3. Give your best talent a promotion or raise.
4. Fill positions now you anticipate will open later.

These strategies aren’t right or wrong, and they may not be appropriate for all organizations. Weigh them within the context of your own situation, and decide which would be most appreciated by your staff, and most likely to keep your staff levels steady.