According to UK researches from the IT Job Board, 35% of techies are working more than 48 hours per week, 7.3% claim between 60 to 75 hours and 3.8% stated that they work in excess of 75 hours. Comparing these numbers with the last year survey (33%, 4.8% and 2.4% respectively) we see that IT pros are working more and more longer hours.
As for the reasons IT professionals stated for working so much, here are the study’s findings:
- 32% of respondents cited that it was due to the high volumes of work,
- 9% advised they were paid overtime,
- 9.5% stated that it was “what the management expected”
Now, the first question that came up in my mind when I’ve seen that is: “do these people have a personal life?” It is OK to be dedicated to your job, and especially when you are an IT professional and you are working on Continue reading ‘IT Pros are working more and more longer hours’
Lack of imagination, lack of fresh ideas or the impossibility to focus on a specific subject/project is something that everyone faced up with more then just once. What is important for us is to find ways of getting fresh ideas when we need them and a little bit of imagination. Eliminating the causes why we lack imagination or why we cannot focus on getting fresh ideas could be an important step, but this is more difficult and needs work in time. The tips I will provide, are let’s say, a security measure taken on the moment.
- Write it down! If an idea rises in your mind then write it down no matter what you are doing in that moment. If you decide to write it later, then later might mean never.
- Correlate ideas. Once you have a small idea, write it on a piece of paper and not on your computer. It’s much more easier to visualize and to complete it if you first write it down on a piece of paper. The second step is to create correlations. Starting with that idea, try to find other similar ideas.
- Look in the neighbor’s yard. Sometimes, taking a look to your competitors might wake up your predator instincts and will release your imagination … in a productive way
Continue reading ‘10 tips to come up with fresh ideas at work’
Running a business involves dealing with different kind of people and different age groups. By recognizing and understanding the varying needs of people at different stages of their life and career could actually improve workplace productivity. Managers must be aware of the characteristics of the main workplace generations (Gen Y (aged 18-29), Gen X (aged 30-47) and baby boomers (aged 48-65)) and act accordingly regarding the communication style and compensations system.
Effective communication is one of the keys to effective business. In this respect managers must know that Gen Y is increasingly using instant messaging, yet all age groups prefer face-to-face communication. Employees motivation is also an important factor in the business success thus, one must know that in regard to rewards and bonuses, older workers prefer non-cash items such as time off work and training opportunities while Gen Y have a clear preference for monetary rewards.
Survey results also show that Continue reading ‘Differences between generations improve workplace productivity’
With all the latest studies revealing that Facebook is a productivity killer or that employees get fired because of Facebook, now its time for a study related to the employers usage of social networking sites. Last year, 22% of employers reported that they were using social networking sites to research their job candidates, and now, the number increased to 45%. These are the findings of a CareerBuilder survey conducted on June 2009 on more than 2,600 hiring managers.
For checking the background and the online activity of job candidates, 29% of employers use Facebook, 26% use LinkedIn and 21% use MySpace. As for the top industries most likely to screen job candidates via social networking sites we can find the IT companies (63%) and Professional & Business Services companies (53%).
Among the reasons for disregarding candidates after screening online Continue reading ‘Facebook also used for researching job candidates’
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