Top CIOs Reveal How to Tackle IT Staff Retention in 2010

LONDON, December 21 - In the latest of a series of podcasts, UK Editor of CIO magazine, Mark
Chillingworth is joined by John Whiting of Harvey Nash CIO Practice, and Arts
Council CIO Owen Powell to discuss staff retention in 2010. Along with top
tips on how to motivate and reward IT staff in difficult times, the CIOs
discuss the importance of developing high quality staff through training.

Although there is increased pressure to cut budgets during tough economic
times, enlightened CIOs are realising the importance of retaining good staff.
Owen Powell says, "High quality staff can always get jobs and I think it's
these people we need to concentrate on. We need to keep them involved and
engaged."

The role of training is also vital in retaining IT staff. Many employees
regard training as more important than money. John says, "Development plans
should be put into place, because that is more important to people in the IT
space than money is. Money tends to be a very short-term motivator and
long-term de-motivator. IT people in particular see themselves as being
change agents and really value the development more than anything else so I'd
much rather that CIOs are continuing to invest time if not money into the
development of their people."

Ensuring that employees are working on interesting projects is another
top tip. Owen says, "It's about giving people enough interesting work and
interesting projects. Technical people especially like to be working on the
newest and the greatest technologies, and you have to allow for that."

Whilst keeping your employees happy in the workplace is extremely
important, getting people out of the office and away from computer screens
can improve people's creativity. Owen Powell explains why days out can get
people's imaginations fired up, he says, "In the Arts Council we tend to go
to an artistic exhibition, we spend a day out, see some art. You're taking
employees right away from IT and making them realise why they're working for
the Arts Council."

IT staff with softer skills are also a key asset. Owen says, "In the
modern world we have to try and exploit those softer skills." As IT people
become more senior within an organisation it becomes less and less about
technology, and it's more and more about the softer skills. John says, "The
people who can make that transition will be the ones that add more value to
an organisation and that's what people really need to be thinking about."

Visit the Impact Executives website to read the press release and
download the full podcast:

www.impactexecutives.com/articles/press-retention.html

About Impact Executives

Impact Executives is a leading interim management provider to
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on Impact Executives, please contact Clive Sexton, Impact Executives, 13
Bruton Street, London, W1J 6QA, United Kingdom. Tel: +44(0)20-7314-2011
Email: info@impactexecutives.com

For further information on Impact Executives, please contact Clive Sexton, Impact Executives, 13
Bruton Street, London, W1J 6QA, United Kingdom. Tel: +44(0)20-7314-2011, Email: info at impactexecutives.com