What do IT workers want for the holidays? Hint: It's not a company windbreaker.While most bosses aren't so naive that they believe there is a magic pill or potion that would get their employees to whistle while they work, stabs at what would make those employees happier are quite often off the mark.
Ken Hess, a technical analyst at a large global outsourcing company in Tulsa, says, quite frankly, his bosses have "no clue."
"In seven years, I have had six different managers and can say that only one had a clue, but no budget for such things. For your five-year anniversary, you basically get a choice of a pair of small binoculars (for a man) or a bracelet (for a woman) and at 10 years, you get a company jacket."
Hess said his company also used to hand out gift cards to the company store … where you could buy knickknacks with the company logo on it.
When asked, most IT professionals don't express any overarching desire for the occasional free beer, Secret Santa gift exchanges or Blue Jeans Fridays. Sure, these things can perk up a subpar day, but for the most part, employees are more concerned with what brought on the bad day, and what can be done to stop the next one in its tracks.
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If the first evening an employee has off in a week is just a reprieve so he or she can attend the annual holiday party, the odds are that a little eggnog with the head honchos is not going to have the desired effect.
"We have no windows at the office, terrible Dell laptops and cubicles with no privacy, and then they want to offshore your job. I have to supplement my salary with writing and consulting jobs," Hess said, questioning why his managers cannot address these concerns instead.
Read the full story on eWEEK.com: How to Keep IT Staff Happy
