IT career news from around the Web

January 30, 2006 (Computerworld)

Employers and Employees Differ on Job Satisfaction
According to Salary.com's 2005/2006 Employee Satisfaction and Retention Survey, many employers are at increased risk of losing their most valuable and productive employees and they may be off target with their efforts to retain these employees.
The results of the survey of 13,592 individuals and 373 human resources professionals indicate that many employees plan to intensify their job searches in 2006. That should come as no surprise to HR managers, given the improved job market conditions, but Salary.com says that HR managers may be surprised by who is searching, the advanced stage of these searches, and the reasons why the employees want to leave.
Salary.com found that 65% of the employees surveyed said they plan to look for a new job in the next three months. Moreover, roughly 80% said they have updated their resumes in the past three months -- but human resource managers think only 32% of employees have done so.
The survey revealed major disconnects in employee and employer perceptions of job satisfaction. Human resource professionals focus on benefits and compensation, listing these factors as top keys to employee happiness:

1. Adequate benefits


2. Friendly co-workers


3. Fair compensation

However, employees in the survey listed these factors the top three keys to overall workplace happiness:

1. Friendly co-workers


2. Good managers


3. Desirable commute

For more analysis of the survey results, go to Salary.com.



Looking for IT Job Training? You're on Your Own
IT workers don't get much guidance or support from their employers when it comes to career training and education, according to a survey by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). Of the 462 IT professionals surveyed, 85% said they decide what IT training and education they need based on their own career plans. Just 8% of the respondents said they make those choices based on their employer's requirements or recommendations.
The survey also found that 60% of the respondents are currently looking for new jobs. Of those looking for new jobs, 81% described their job search as active. And of those workers currently looking for new jobs, 80% said they hope to land positions with a new employer while only 20% said they're looking for new jobs with their current employers. Read more about the findings at the CompTIA Web site.