Management

Umesh Ramakrishnan, vice-chairman of executive recruiting firm CTPartners (formerly Christian & Timbers)

Retention and motivation of staff are consistently among the strongest pain points for a chief information officer (CIO). Tight budgets may leave some CIOs dreaming about a blank check to draw on for dispensing motivation. I'd like to challenge you, however, to think beyond motivation by paycheck.

Peter Drucker, the father of modern management science, observed that modern organizations are staffed by 'knowledge workers,' and IT professionals are arguably the purest knowledge workers in the workforce. Competitive pay is a necessary job component for these individuals, but it's not the onlyr even the primaryomponent for job satisfaction. For most knowledge workers, the opportunity to learn and grow is critical. And because continued development is tied to long-term career progress, pay and personal development are inextricably intertwined.

For this reason, think of perks not as serendipitous benefits, but as part of a strategy you can use to create what we call the 'continually rewarding workplace.'

The continually rewarding workplace addresses both the professional and mental needs of the CIO's staff, and how to motivate them. And while this sounds like a worthwhile concept, getting actual support to enact it can be a challenge. Consider it this way: Try to promote the mental freedom needed to uncover the connections between business needs, outlook, and forthcoming changes in technology. Inexpensive real-world options include allowing flexible or informal hours, and co-opting the workspacehat is, designing the environment to encourage meetings and interaction between your staff and those of other managers. A visual break provides a mental vacation from cubicles and boxy offices.

The workplace should also encourage employees to explore technology and think about its future. It's important to give employees the opportunity to tinker and probe cutting-edge technologies. Smart ideas can come from unusual applications of technologies not yet deployed in your company.

Of course, you have to be careful how you introduce such perksou don't want tinkering or free-form discussion to edge out day-to-day work and deadlines. Nevertheless, to the extent that you can create a workplace that stimulates employees' technical curiosity and professional growth, you'll be getting great motivation mileage out of your perks.

A continually rewarding workplace also ought to provide good training opportunities to enhance employees' qualifications. Training offers long-lasting benefits to both the employee and the organization. Be sure to offer training for skills that are not required for an employee's current position. Otherwise, it's not a perk, it's a requirement. Instead, give employees a chance to stretch outside their current job.

Career coaches can also be an attractive benefit for employees. Many employees may be wondering how to get to the next level or what direction to pursue. A career counselor can provide a valuable external perspective and give more guidance than many managers have time to do. Your staff will appreciate even two to three hours per month with a career counselornd you'll get a workforce with clearer goals.

As important as a stimulating environment is, sometimes employees just need a break. Many IT professionals today work long, hard hours. Stressful decisions and tough deadlines can fill their days. To alleviate this stress and rejuvenate staff, companies may consider offering their top IT contributors the chance to take sabbaticalsay, three to six months in length. Backpacking across Europe or just going fishingll the while knowing your job is securean be an excellent antidote to burnout.

There are ways to give employees breaks that are smaller, but still rejuvenating. Perhaps your company has multiple offices, some in scenic or cultural locales. Send an employee to work at one of those choice spotsaris, San Francisco, or New York. Let the person work for a week and then stay the weekend enjoying the change of scenery.

Finally, don't forget team outings. Lunches, dinners, ball games, or other outings cost little but do much to boost morale and build a sense of camaraderie.

In the end, people work for satisfaction and for feeling that they are part of a team. People need to feel good about where they work. Otherwise, work is just a jobnd most people don't like jobs. Use real perks, not just paychecks, to create those feelings in your people.