Career Survey: IT Pros Stressed But Satisfied

 

While the majority of IT professionals seemed satisfied with the pay they are currently receiving, more IT workers still stress that they are receiving salaries that are not worth their performance -- finding comfort in bonuses, access to new technologies and security of tenure accorded them.

Although salary adjustments were implemented, they still remained modest, matching last year's average pay increases. And because of the rise in job-related stress due to heavier workloads, more IT employees expect to get salary hikes this year while at the same time, maintaining a stable level of job performance and satisfaction. These were some of the highlights of the IS Salary, Job Satisfaction and Career survey conducted by the Computerworld Philippines Research Group covering 100 respondent organizations from March to June 2012, where 48% of respondents claimed they are receiving salaries that are within the industry standard while those who claimed they receive pay checks higher than industry standard comprised nine percent.

On the other hand, 43% describe their monthly remuneration as below industry standard. Though lower, the salaries they handed to them every month do not pose a hindrance to their work performance. Admitting that the monthly take home pay of his staff is lower than industry standard, Sherwin Villao, IT manager of the famous restaurant Pancake House Group of Companies, clarifies that despite the lower pay, "the performance of my staff is not affected, although they are not that satisfied," adding that "it just so happened that they are matured enough to accomplish any tasks or projects assigned to them."

Although there are many who still enjoy their job despite getting lower pay, this makes employees on the lookout for other IT jobs in another firm that offers a more appealing take home pay. Knowing and feeling his staff sentiments borne out by lower compensation, Villao cannot afford to discount the fact that "they are looking for it outside of Pancake House Group."

Compensation

Compensation is always one of the factors that contribute to a worker's satisfaction with his job. An IT worker who is performing to his fullest potential for the growth of the company he is connected with, yet is not favorably compensated, may be forced to look for other options that would satisfy him better.

The survey showed that while 21% of the respondents said they have plans of shifting to a non-IS career, mostly in business entrepreneurship, 53% admitted that they have plans of putting up their own business establishments, either related or not related to IT. These respondents -- whether they are getting salaries lower or within industry standard -- are also considering the possibility of not only transferring to other firms that offer much better pay but also accepting overseas assignments. As a matter of fact, 84% of respondents claimed that if ever they leave for work abroad, they will choose the US, Australia and Canada as the best countries to work in, with IS management, networking and communication as their preferred fields/jobs.

Meanwhile, most respondents described pay increases as below average to average, with 46% saying they get modest salary hikes ranging from five percent to 10% every year. Fifteen percent claimed they were given an average of more than 10% in salary adjustments, while 38% have been granted pay increments lower than five percent. But even with these modest salary rate hikes, majority of survey respondents can still sufficiently cope with the continuing increase in the prices of goods and services -- so far. The increase in prices, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI) reached an average of three percent in the first five months of the year, still below the five percent lowest salary rate increase reported.

More than one-third of the respondents consider the budget of the company for IT, including personnel costs, as the greatest factor that affects the salaries of IT personnel. The adjustment in salaries always depends on the allocated company budget which is dependent on the annual financial performance of the organization. One of the 38% who believes that the increase in salaries is dependent on the company's operational budgets, Villao explained that "being a support team, we only share a piece of the available pie." If the company performs favorably, "it would mean a much bigger pie that we have to share with other group," he added.

Determined by most respondents, the annual performance of the individual employee and company also influenced compensation increases of IT personnel. Both are important factors in determining the increase in salary rates an employee may receive. Not only is the individual performance that is to be considered, the amount of funds from which pay increases of workers are based must also be taken into consideration.

Performance Evaluation

Individual accomplishments should be given more weight in evaluating the performance of employees because these serve as a solid basis for granting increases in salaries. Besides, high performance ratings motivate workers to give their best even under heavy pressures. On the other hand, the annual company performance plays an important role in management's decision to grant pay hikes to deserving employees. Increase in remuneration is one way of lifting the morale of a worker. Aside from this, however, employees desire to receive more than their salaries, in return for their contribution to the company. Though giving out benefits or bonuses depends on the company's performance and management's approval, 30% of respondents revealed they were given incentives in the form of profit sharing; 26% claimed they received team performance bonuses while 20% were granted Christmas, quarterly, mid-year and other bonuses. While 16% were given anniversary bonuses, 13% were rewarded for completing a major project. These benefits, more than anything, inevitably increase the value of an employee's salary.

What Motivates Workers

Other than monetary rewards, majority of respondents picked the following as the most important factors that motivate them to be productive: learning new skills, job security, and career path/growth.

Employees, however, are not solely interested in higher salary or pay increases; they also want to be exposed to new technologies or master new skills which can lead to opportunities for advancement and higher pay someday. "This serves as an asset or investment that every employee can bring with them and help them negotiate for a much higher package in case they start looking for a greener pasture outside Pancake House," Villao says.

The opportunity to learn and work with new ideas and concepts can also serve as an incentive for employees to stick it out with the company. As Rene de Guzman, vice president for IT of National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines, claims, "the innovation of the company in the use of new technologies is critical to the retention of staff."

Among the factors that will make IT employees enjoy their jobs even better, the survey lists higher pay as the most important; followed by access to new technologies, and bonuses. Other benefits they find essential in enjoying their jobs include promotions, job security, car and housing plans. The IT professionals surveyed also identified cloud computing, information security, networking, programming, project management, and Web development as some of the IS skills they need to help further their careers.

On the other hand, 76% of respondents says better offer from another company is the major reason for an IS professional to leave his current job. It is a common knowledge that no employees would leave his current job unless he gets a really better opportunity somewhere else. Other essential reasons for an IS professional to leave his current job include the following: to advance to higher management role, professional development, low pay, nonmanagement advancement, and job-related reasons.

More Stress in the Workplace

When asked to describe the current level of stress in their organization, majority divulged that stress is still present with 45% saying the level of stress is increasing compared with the previous year, while 36% relayed they experienced same level of stress as last year's. Only 19% says the level of stress was reduced. Despite this, the vast majority of respondents were satisfied at work with nine out of 10 being either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their jobs. In contrast, only four percent were not satisfied with their jobs. In all levels of IS department, job performance was stable, according to 48%. It was improving for 46% but for a mere six percent, it was declining. On the other hand, the level of job satisfaction in the IS departments of a significant 63% was stable. While it was improving for 27%, the level of satisfaction for 10% was declining. The exposure to new technologies/ challenges and good relationship with management were the key factors that contributed most to the increase in satisfaction of IT professionals. Apart from these, increased authority/freedom in decision making and promotions/pay increase also help improve job satisfaction. On the other hand, the decline in job satisfaction was the result of work overload/no recognition, lack of leadership direction, understaffed/ downsizing, and lack of challenges and opportunities.

For more than half of the respondents, job satisfaction is more important as against the 45% who aim for career advancement. Villao, who prefers job satisfaction says, "it is hard to advance once you're not satisfied with your job. Career advancement will just be the effect of job satisfaction." Most IT professionals are currently experiencing an increasing number of responsibilities or workloads that they have to accomplish in their day-to-day operations. They have to keep up with their actual duties while spending time to learn and implement the added responsibilities.

The survey showed that 39% of IT officers revealed that their jobs have become business-oriented; 34% claimed their works have become more cross-functional; while 26% reported their jobs become more technical. On Villao's part, having a more crossfunctional and business-oriented job is an advantage to him, as "I'm enjoying it and as I understand, it will be a step forward for career advancement."

Desire for Business Skills

Meanwhile, 67% of the respondents claims they want to participate equally in both the technical and business aspects of the IS job. Participating not only in the technical but also in the business aspect of the IS profession makes everyone more effective in his job. The exposure in the various facets of the business organization will help develop the necessary business skills and be equipped with the skills demanded by the organization.

For de Guzman, it is an advantage for every IT employee in an organization to have a minimum understanding of the business aspect of the job. "The more business knowledge you acquire, the more effective you become to the company." IT certification, which serves as a reliable validation of skills of IT personnel and can increase the employee's chance of being hired, is not that important for most IT positions as eight out of 10 respondents say certifications are either not so important or not important at all. Only 24% disclosed that it is very important.

The survey also revealed that being certified in any skills is not a guarantee of having a higher pay. Majority of respondents (at 72%) relayed that a certified IT personnel in their organization does not receive salary higher than those without certifications.