顶尖科技人才到底想要什么才肯留下来

    对任何希望留住自家明星员工的公司来说，成功几率正变得越来越让人气馁。根据劳工统计局（Bureau of Labor Statistics）提供的数据，员工离职率在2013年12月攀升到了新的高位，较经济衰退时的340万人增长了49%。与此同时，咨询公司BlessingWhite针对全职员工进行的一项调查发现，这些员工预期在未来数月中辞职的概率要比被动下岗高出5倍多（84%对16%）。

    所有人当中，高技能的IT人才是最不安分的一群人。即使处在经济衰退最黑暗的日子里，市场对IT人才的需求仍然很高，而这部分人的失业率从来没有超过4%。现在，各家公司都在加大招聘力度。科技招聘网站Dice.com针对美国17,000名IT从业者的薪酬调查表明，有三分之二的人“自信能够在今年找到一份更好的新工作”。

    这么多员工都在“见异思迁”，难怪雇主们已经开始更努力地尝试去留住他们了。其中的一种激励手段很古老：钱。Dice.com总裁舍凡•戈利说：“科技公司管理者告诉我，他们正增加预算，让技术员工满意。”薪酬最高的IT从业者在硅谷，这里IT行业的平均薪酬现在是108,603美元，平均年终奖是12,458美元。

    在美国十大科技市场的其他地方，薪酬水平同样见涨。这其中包括：洛杉矶（95,815美元，2013年上涨4%），纽约（93,915美元，上涨5%），以及费城（92,138美元，上涨8%）。显然，大数据风头最劲：在10大薪酬最高的技能中，有9项跟大数据有关，其中擅长R语言和NoSQL技术的员工获得了最高的薪酬，分别是115,531美元和114,796美元。

    如果留住顶尖科技人才只需要开出一张数额更大的支票，那么大部分雇主倒可以松口气。但很可惜，事情没那么简单。“钱是好东西，但它不是万能的。”戈利指出。在Dice.com的调查中，一项位居前列的激励因素乃是，“更加有趣或更加具有挑战性的工作任务”，而这种东西往往不是月月都能提供给员工的。不过，科技员工的愿望清单上还有其他待遇条目：升值或新的职称，灵活的工作时间，更多的培训和认证课程，来自高层管理人员的更多认可，以及——尤其是在北加州和其他交通堵塞的地区——在家办公的机会。

    这些听起来像不像创业公司的特征？这一点并不是什么巧合。戈利说：“希望留住科技人才的大型公司可以从创业公司身上学到很多东西。”根据Dice.com的调查，羽翼未丰的公司往往会向IT员工支付较少的薪酬。它们提供的平均水平为85,655美元，在2013年仅仅上涨了1%。而全美平均水平是87,811美元，同比涨幅达到了3%。然而，57%的创业公司IT员工表示，他们对自己的薪酬很满意，这个数字要高于大型公司54%的比例。

    原因在于，戈利说，小公司“会更努力地找到激励个体员工的因素，量身打造每个人的工作安排”，以便适应员工的兴趣和目标。“比起大型公司，创业公司更擅于向员工提供很多正规培训和前沿工作，同时还有为每个人量身定制的清晰职业发展路径。”新兴公司还出了名地懂得“让人放松。乒乓球桌很管用。”

    戈利认为，创业公司和大型公司之间的最大区别在于，小公司的老板们会花更多的时间跟员工交谈。他说：“他们十分擅长在公司内部培养员工，开发人才，而这需要持续不断的对话。”在Dice.com，戈利希望确保员工知道他的门永远为他们敞开，尤其是在有人不满意的时候：“我告诉公司的所有人，‘如果你想着离开，先跟我谈谈。我会尽己所能留住你’。”（财富中文网）

    译者：王灿均

    For any company hoping to hang on to its stars these days, the odds are daunting. The number of people quitting their jobs climbed to new heights in December 2013, up 49% from a recessionary low of 3.4 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, a survey of full-time employees by consultants BlessingWhite found that they're five times more likely to expect to quit in the next few months than to be laid off (84% to 16%).

    Highly skilled IT people are the most restless of all. Even during the darkest days of the economic downturn, demand was such that unemployment among techies never exceeded 4%. Now that companies have stepped up hiring, tech employment site Dice.com's latest salary survey of more than 17,000 U.S. IT employees says two-thirds are "confident that they can find a new, better" job sometime this year.

    With so many staffers eyeing the exits, it's no wonder that employers have started trying harder to hold on to them. One motivator is that old standby: money. "Tech managers are telling me they're stretching their budgets to keep their technology workforces satisfied," says Dice president Shravan Goli. The highest paid techies are in Silicon Valley, where the average IT salary is now $108,603 and annual bonuses average $12,458.

    Most of the other 10 biggest tech markets in the U.S. are also seeing raises. That includes Los Angeles ($95,815, up 4% in 2013), New York ($93,915, up 5%), and Philadelphia ($92,138, up 8%). Clearly, big data rules: Nine of the 10 highest paid skills are connected to it, with those adept at R and NoSQL reaping the highest pay, at $115,531 and $114,796 respectively.

    If retaining top tech talent were as easy as just writing a bigger check, most employers could breathe easy. But alas, it's not that simple. "Money is nice, but it isn't everything," notes Goli. The one enticement that topped it in Dice's survey was "more interesting or more challenging assignments," which are often much harder to provide month in and month out, but techies' wish lists include other perks too: a promotion or a new title, flexible work hours, more training and certification courses, more recognition from top management, and -- especially in northern California and other traffic-clogged locales -- the chance to work from home.

    Do those sound like the earmarks of a startup? It's no coincidence. "Big companies that want to keep tech talent can learn a lot from startups," Goli says. According to Dice's survey, fledgling enterprises tend to pay IT staff a little less. Salaries average $85,655, up just 1% in 2013, vs. a national average of $87,811, a 3% raise from the previous year. Yet 57% of startups' IT employees say they're satisfied with their pay, somewhat higher than the 54% of their big-company peers who say the same.

    The reason, Goli says, is that small companies "dig harder to find out what makes each individual tick, and personalize each person's job" to match the worker's interests and goals. "Startups are better than big companies at offering people not only lots of formal training and cutting-edge work but also clear career paths that are customized to each person." Newer companies also famously "let people loosen up and relax. Ping pong tables help."

    The biggest difference between startups and their bigger brethren, he believes, is that bosses at small companies spend more time just talking with employees. "They're really good at developing people and growing talent in-house, which takes a constant, never-ending conversation," he says. At Dice, Goli aims to make sure employees know his door is always open, especially if anybody is dissatisfied: "I tell everybody here, 'If you're thinking about leaving, come and talk to me first. I'll do whatever I can to keep you.'"