'Human-centric work design' key to employee retention in IT, Gartner claims

New research has found that IT workers are more inclined to leave their current jobs than in other professions

IT workers are more inclined to leave their current jobs than those working in other professions with only 29.1 per cent of IT workers having a high intent to stay with their current employer, according to new research from Gartner.

Gartner surveyed 18,000 employees globally in Q4 2021, including 1,755 employees in the IT function, and found that only four in 10 IT workers (38.8 per cent) have a high intent to stay in their job in Europe.

That figure was much less in other geographies, with only 19.6 per cent in Asia, 23.6 per cent in Australia and New Zealand and 26.9 per cent in Latin America claiming they had a high intent to stay in their current position.

"While talent retention is a common C-level concern, CIOs are at the epicentre, with a huge chunk of their workforce at risk," said Graham Waller, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

"We've heard of IT organisations implementing back-to-the-office policies only to face mass resignations and have to reverse course.

"CIOs may need to advocate for more flexibility in work design than the rest of the enterprise, as IT employees are more likely to leave, in greater demand and more adept at remote working than most other employees."

The study also found that IT workers aged under 30 reported that they were two and a half times less likely to stay than those over 50, with only 19.9 per cent of IT workers aged 18 to 29 having a high likelihood to stay compared to 48.1 per cent of those aged 50-70.

Gartner lists employees having more choice over their working hours, embracing hybrid working and using collaboration tools over face-to-face meetings as three factors which can improve retention.

"CIOs who adopt a human-centric work design will out-hire, out-retain and out-perform those that revert back to industrial-era work paradigms," Waller added.