In terms of employee retention work-life balance is more important than pay in Ireland’s ICT sector (Source: Abrivia Recruitment Salary Survey 2019) with over 50% citing work-life balance as the main reason why they remain with their current employer. With 43% planning to change jobs in 2019, what is work-life balance in Ireland’s ICT sector?
According to the OECD, just under 5% of people in Ireland work very long hours, which is much lower than the OECD average of 13%.
A recent Blueface study of Ireland’s ICT sector found that 78% of businesses have set in place a remote working policy and only 17% of businesses are “resistant” to remote working. Telecommuting is actively favoured by 64% of large organisations. 69% allow the use of your own device in the workplace. This allows for a seamless transition between home and work.
Flexitime is also very popular in Ireland’s top IT companies and it has become noticeable in recent months that flexitime is mentioned in many more IT job related specifications than previously. On a global scale, LinkedIn reports a 78% increase in job posts that mention work flexibility since 2016.
Job sharing is still a rarity in Irelands ICT sector and remains a public sector phenomenon, but this may change in the future as ICT retention strategies evolve.
As Jason Philips, VP Digital HR & Global Chief of Staff of IT giant CISCO, puts it so eloquently “Work flexibility is becoming the norm. The challenge is how fast can organisations provide it” (Source: LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends).
