If you are a manager or business owner and you are concerned about retaining employees after training them, then instead of looking at forcing them to sign contracts you might want to take another look at the way you interview and hire people instead.
As I've said, contracts are a scary thing, I know I wouldn't sign one. But, I really hate the idea of looking for another job also, so long as the company I work for treats me reasonably well.
When you need to hire someone, instead of looking purely at skills or experience, you may wish to look at their personality instead. Why did they get into IT. What do they want to do in the future. What type of people they like to work with. What type of company they want to work for.
If you find a person who is an ideal or close fit to your culture, (if you have one), And if that person likes what they do and you feel confident that they will like doing their work for your company then you will have little to worry about when you send that person to training.
Employment is a two way street, both sides should be happy with each other and both sides should gain in the arrangement. If employment turns out to be a parasitic relationship on one side or the other, it's a losing deal for both sides.
The point is, improve the selection process or the basic retention practices instead of going after the quick fix like contracts.
A contract like that makes you a potential slave. I would be EXTREMEMLY hesitent to sign a contract for four years for any amount of training. They could treat you any way they wanted to after you signed, they could make you a janitor, who knows.
It all depends on the type of management that is there, your level of trust in that management structure, they exact wording of the contract and the specifics of the training offered.
Look at all the details before you consider signing a contract in exchange for training.
From the business side, look at how much your employees trust their managers and carefully consider the specifics of tht contractual arrangements before implementing such a plan to keep employees after training.
Personally, I would rather save the money for training on my own or take a loan before I would consider signing any contract.
I agree that it is really annoying when new people come into this field for the money, (what money?)
I think the wheat will be seperated from the chaff in this case though. The truely good IT professionals always come into IT for the love of tech, not money. The people into this for the money are easy to spot, they are the ones who can't do the job and constantly ask repetitive questions. Eventually managers will learn to hire by fit and not by paper. There are key questions to ask in an interview to see if someone is motivated by love of the tech, or love of the money, someday companies will learn that there is a difference.
Until then, just smile at the posers who pretend to be IT professionals with their freshly printed paper certifications and flattering resumes of half truths. Their time and due will come, and the skills of the true IT professionals who love what they do will shine.
I'm a network manager and I have some theories on the best way to keep IT people and the sad thing is that they are common sense issues that don't involve hiring IT slaves from India.
1. compensate people within the regional average for the skills they bring. (this rule MUST be followed first before others can work)
2. Make sure that the employee will do what that person was hired to do! (there is nothing worse than being hired as a network professional only to be stuck doing support work)
3. Spread interesting projects around, even if an employee doesn't have all the skills needed for a project, then team that person with someone who does. Make work a learning environment, that beats classroom training anyday!
4. Give honest praise when and where it is due. There is nothing worse than doing work that doesn't make a difference or doesn't receive recognition.
5. Listen to the people doing the work. They know about what they are doing and this gives them a chance to be a part of the business and learn more about business paired with IT.
6. Talk to your employees and be honest when ever you can. If there is something that you are not allowed to tell the employees, tell them that you can't say instead of lying.
7. Train when you have to, and compensate for new skills when they are being used.
8. Make room for employees to move within the organization. I would rather hire from within than hire outside the company, this benefits the company by retaining company knowledge and improves staff retention.
9. Make flex time available to people who want it. As long as the job gets done, what does it matter when the employees work? If they do a night shif for downtime projects, give them comp time instead of overtime if they want.
10. Small perks, take the staff out to lunch or drinks after work, expecially after rough projects or exceptional work done.
There are some other variations, of course, and many other twists that will work in substitution for the soft benefits. But the issue boils down to respect since these people are professionals.
IT people went to college, have to continuously study and relearn, they work long hours, and they work hard to be the best at what they do. Recognize their effort and make steps to appriciate this and show your respect when it is due.
But, that is just my opinionated opinion as a network manager with limited control over what I can do for my employees. (who have never left when I have managed or supervised wherever I have been).
That the biggest goof that Intel ever pulled off was the marketing blitz with the poor dancing fools in clean room enviro-suits. Those poor dolts never knew what hit them when they died of oxygen depravation without the ventilation hoses hooked up, looked like a freakish breakdance whilst they convulsed on the ground after their last commercial shot...
Now they use the "Blue Man Group" who will surely die as well like that poor painted horse from the Wizard of Oz and the tiger painted to look like a panther on Beastmaster...
Oh well... Bwahahaha!
Slashdot Mirror
If you are a manager or business owner and you are concerned about retaining employees after training them, then instead of looking at forcing them to sign contracts you might want to take another look at the way you interview and hire people instead.
As I've said, contracts are a scary thing, I know I wouldn't sign one. But, I really hate the idea of looking for another job also, so long as the company I work for treats me reasonably well.
When you need to hire someone, instead of looking purely at skills or experience, you may wish to look at their personality instead. Why did they get into IT. What do they want to do in the future. What type of people they like to work with. What type of company they want to work for.
If you find a person who is an ideal or close fit to your culture, (if you have one), And if that person likes what they do and you feel confident that they will like doing their work for your company then you will have little to worry about when you send that person to training.
Employment is a two way street, both sides should be happy with each other and both sides should gain in the arrangement. If employment turns out to be a parasitic relationship on one side or the other, it's a losing deal for both sides.
The point is, improve the selection process or the basic retention practices instead of going after the quick fix like contracts.
A contract like that makes you a potential slave. I would be EXTREMEMLY hesitent to sign a contract for four years for any amount of training. They could treat you any way they wanted to after you signed, they could make you a janitor, who knows.
It all depends on the type of management that is there, your level of trust in that management structure, they exact wording of the contract and the specifics of the training offered.
Look at all the details before you consider signing a contract in exchange for training.
From the business side, look at how much your employees trust their managers and carefully consider the specifics of tht contractual arrangements before implementing such a plan to keep employees after training.
Personally, I would rather save the money for training on my own or take a loan before I would consider signing any contract.
I agree that it is really annoying when new people come into this field for the money, (what money?)
I think the wheat will be seperated from the chaff in this case though. The truely good IT professionals always come into IT for the love of tech, not money. The people into this for the money are easy to spot, they are the ones who can't do the job and constantly ask repetitive questions. Eventually managers will learn to hire by fit and not by paper. There are key questions to ask in an interview to see if someone is motivated by love of the tech, or love of the money, someday companies will learn that there is a difference.
Until then, just smile at the posers who pretend to be IT professionals with their freshly printed paper certifications and flattering resumes of half truths. Their time and due will come, and the skills of the true IT professionals who love what they do will shine.
I'm a network manager and I have some theories on the best way to keep IT people and the sad thing is that they are common sense issues that don't involve hiring IT slaves from India.
1. compensate people within the regional average for the skills they bring. (this rule MUST be followed first before others can work)
2. Make sure that the employee will do what that person was hired to do! (there is nothing worse than being hired as a network professional only to be stuck doing support work)
3. Spread interesting projects around, even if an employee doesn't have all the skills needed for a project, then team that person with someone who does. Make work a learning environment, that beats classroom training anyday!
4. Give honest praise when and where it is due. There is nothing worse than doing work that doesn't make a difference or doesn't receive recognition.
5. Listen to the people doing the work. They know about what they are doing and this gives them a chance to be a part of the business and learn more about business paired with IT.
6. Talk to your employees and be honest when ever you can. If there is something that you are not allowed to tell the employees, tell them that you can't say instead of lying.
7. Train when you have to, and compensate for new skills when they are being used.
8. Make room for employees to move within the organization. I would rather hire from within than hire outside the company, this benefits the company by retaining company knowledge and improves staff retention.
9. Make flex time available to people who want it. As long as the job gets done, what does it matter when the employees work? If they do a night shif for downtime projects, give them comp time instead of overtime if they want.
10. Small perks, take the staff out to lunch or drinks after work, expecially after rough projects or exceptional work done.
There are some other variations, of course, and many other twists that will work in substitution for the soft benefits. But the issue boils down to respect since these people are professionals.
IT people went to college, have to continuously study and relearn, they work long hours, and they work hard to be the best at what they do. Recognize their effort and make steps to appriciate this and show your respect when it is due.
But, that is just my opinionated opinion as a network manager with limited control over what I can do for my employees. (who have never left when I have managed or supervised wherever I have been).
The P75 was a joke when it performed slower
than a P66 because of the bus speed difference...
Perhaps, but just imagine being able to tell your friends you have a Sexium 690 with hot swap SCSI Hard drives, no floppies, and a massive joystick!
I think they would be envious...
They failed to progress from Pentium to Sexium!
Now who wouldn't buy a chip called Sexium?!?
That the biggest goof that Intel ever pulled off was the marketing blitz with the poor dancing fools in clean room enviro-suits. Those poor dolts never knew what hit them when they died of oxygen depravation without the ventilation hoses hooked up, looked like a freakish breakdance whilst they convulsed on the ground after their last commercial shot... Now they use the "Blue Man Group" who will surely die as well like that poor painted horse from the Wizard of Oz and the tiger painted to look like a panther on Beastmaster... Oh well... Bwahahaha!