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Work from Home

Dice Sentiment Report: Tech Pros Likely to Take Flight

Despite concerns of a looming recession, layoffs, and hiring freezes at tech giants like Amazon, Twitter, and Meta, technologists might feel like hunkering down and holding onto their standing desks. But a new report shows tech pros are still open to changing jobs in the next 12 months.

 

Data released from Dice’s annual Tech Sentiment Report includes sentiment data from 950 technologists and historical trend analysis from previous sentiment and salary reports.

 

Here are the key takeaways that can help empower your career moves and support company leadership, HR pros, and hiring managers to build their 2023 tech talent acquisition and retention strategies.

 

More technologists are likely to change employers.

 

Technology professionals feel confident about their skills and market prospects to consider jumping employees, with 52% of respondents surveyed indicating they’re likely to switch jobs in the next year, up from 44 percent last year. The need for tech talent shows no signs of slowing, and this increase in openness to opportunity means recruiters are more likely to get a response from both active and passive candidates.

Fully remote work remains important to most technology professionals, surpassing interest in a hybrid working model.

 

Once seen as a temporary solution during the pandemic has remained the preferred work method in the tech world. Dice found that approximately 70% of employers plan for a hybrid future; however, only 30% of technologists prefer hybrid work. 60% of technologists surveyed ranked fully remote work as their most desired workplace setting — up from 53% in 2021. It’s hard to ignore those numbers.

 

Given the continuing demand for tech skills, technologists may find they have the leverage to negotiate with employers for the flexibility they want, including custom working hours and a fully remote or hybrid working model.

 

From an organizational standpoint — diving into why they prefer working remotely and what, if anything, would entice them to return to the office a few days a week could help retention before rolling out a return-to-the-office model. Employers will need to get creative on incentives beyond free meals and comfy office furniture to lure workers back to an office environment.

 

Brand, reputation, and company culture are driving factors in technology professionals’ decisions to join a new employer.

 

In the age of online conversation, the reputation of individuals and entities has become more critical than ever before. With the tech job market so competitive for companies seeking talent, technologists are becoming more discerning in how they view a company’s culture, reputation, and brand.

 

Nearly 90% of tech professionals feel an employer’s brand is essential when considering a new employer, and almost 8 in 10 said they would not apply for a higher-paying job at a company with a poor reputation. It will be challenging to attract top tech talent if you’re not investing in your brand and reputation as an employer and ensuring your company culture supports employee morale and creativity.

 

Time-to-hire could create more opportunities for technologists.

 

Dice found that most HR professionals surveyed indicated that their times-to-hire had been faster in 2022 than in 2021. That could be due to the need to fill roles, considering nearly 50% of respondents indicated that attrition rates for technology professionals in their organization are higher than in 2021.

 

That’s increasing pressure to find replacements and accelerating the time needed to fill roles. So technologists need to be ready not only with an updated resume and portfolio but also to consider an offer faster than seen in the past.

 

Salary and merit increases

 

Technologists know they are in demand, and they’re learning more skills than ever to increase their value at organizations and maximize their compensation packages.

 

While the job market for new hires rewards these skills and competes to attract talent, organizations aren’t necessarily keeping pace regarding their current employees’ salaries. In the report, Dice’s research shows that technologists received an average merit increase of only 4.8% this year versus an expected growth of 5.2%.

 

This salary gap could contribute to the growing openness of changing employers.

 

If your organization is struggling to keep up with inflation — as most companies are — offer other incentives or compensation like additional paid time off, remote and flexible work options, or training and education opportunities — all of which were ranked as important to tech professionals in the Dice 2022 Tech Salary Report.

 

Let our talent acquisition professionals help you elevate your career. Work with INNOVA People today.

 

4 Tips from Marie Kondo to Spark Joy at the Office

Covid-19 has forever changed the way companies operate; as we slowly transition into a post-pandemic world, the future of work for many will be splitting time between returning to an office and a home workspace.

If you’re still struggling with creating an organized and inspired workspace, these tips from Marie Kondo may help!

The New York Times best-selling author and inventor of the KonMari method of organization offer some simple steps on creating an environment that not only helps you focus but inspires your best work.

Commit to Tidying Up  

Studies prove how clutter overwhelms the brain and compromises the ability to take initiative – ultimately decreasing productivity.

First, identify all essential items needed to get your work done and designate a spot for them. Then, move all unrelated items off your workspace and add one thing that sparks joy when you look at it. This simple step will create a calm and uncluttered workspace and offer a creative and productive boost.

Just think about all the time you’ll save looking for things in an uncluttered workspace.

Imagine your Ideal Workspace

Regardless of the size of your office, it’s essential to ask yourself,

“How do you want to work?”

“What’s your ideal workday like in this space?”

Having that mental image as a goal is very important in creating a space that functions best for you and your needs.

Create Daily Rituals

Before opening that laptop and starting your workday, take a moment to center yourself. Kondo says this will help get you into a “work” mindset, especially working from home. Kondo adds. “I strike a tuning fork and diffuse essential oils to signal to my body that I’m switching gears.”

You can also create a routine to signal an end to your workday. Try turning off notifications, turning on some music, and putting your laptop away, so you’re not tempted to answer one more email.

Schedule Downtime

We tend to take more breaks when we’re working from an office compared to working from home. Who else finds themselves barely leaving their chair on a WFH day?

To avoid burnout, schedule your downtime. “Block out windows in your calendar each week to turn off notifications, take a walk, or simply let your mind wander. Your creativity will be replenished, and your brain will be sharper for it.”

And remember if there are parts of your workspace that don’t spark joy, you’re better off without it.