More than money: recruiting and retaining library IT staff
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Presentation given at the 2015 LITA Forum, Minneapolis, MN.
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More than money: recruiting and retaining library IT staff
- 1. More Than Money: Recruiting and Retaining Library IT Staff Janet Crum, Head, Library Technology Services, Northern Arizona University, janet.crum@nau.edu @crumj Aaron Dobbs, Scholarly Communications, eResource Development, and Web Librarian, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, awdobbs@ship.edu @awd Bill Helman, Information Technology Librarian, Towson University, whelman@towson.edu, @thinkpol Kelly Sattler, Head of Web Services, Michigan State University, sattler9@mail.lib.msu.edu, @ksattler LITA Forum, Nov. 14th, 2015 $$$ $$$ All meeple images by Caig, modified under CreativeCommons
- 2. Topics for today: Overview – the why and what of the research Demographics – who’s responded so far Recruitment factors – what attracts good talent Retention factors – what keeps them Gender and retention – one way to break out the data Wrap up and discussion ???
- 3. Overview What we did, why we did it and who’s responded so far.
- 4. The Questions “How should we be recruiting for library IT jobs?” “How do we keep good people once we get them?”
- 5. Why We’re Interested We wanted to provide management with evidence to support decisions on pay, benefits, and organizational culture. As well as to provide feedback on how to improve the overall workplace not just for IT, but for all library staff too.
- 6. Research! photo by flickr user ubarchives Please take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B2RVW77
- 7. Primary household income earner Plenty of library experience with same employer Works in higher ed, lives in the US Has a spouse or domestic partner White male. Late 30’s/early 40’s Demographics photo by flickr user kalexanderson Not a librarian, doesn’t supervise anyone Please take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B2RVW77
- 8. Recruitment What factors encourage library IT staff to accept a position?
- 9. How people found their library IT job 41% 35% 29.50% 45% 39% 30% Already working there Online Knowing someone All respondents Past 3 years
- 10. Social media platforms used 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% YouTube Twitter Pinterest Other / Already work here None, because none existed back… None, because I don't use Social… LinkedIn Google + Glassdoor Facebook <= 3 years All respondents
- 11. Meet and Interrogate Majority of people (81%) when interviewed got to meet their future teammates Almost all were able to ask questions of the perspective employer (95%- 98%) This influenced their decision to take the job at least somewhat (74%- 84%) Stated reasons it didn’t influence a person’s decision: • Needed a job • Didn’t know better/too young • Responsibilities added without interview • I am “the team” • Went by description alone • Already familiar with environment/people
- 12. Our Recruitment Factors Salary Opportunities for promotion and/or professional growth and development Prestige/reputation of institution Insurance benefits for self/family Tuition benefits for self/family Perceived job security Organization’s mission and values Paid time off (vacation, sick leave, etc.) Diversity of Workforce Location of work site (city, climate, housing options, etc.) Flexible hours/alternative work schedules/telecommuting Perception of employer as family- friendly (childcare, parental leave, etc.)
- 13. Top 3 influencing factors for accepting the job* All Respondents: 1. Salary 2. Insurance benefits 3. Perceived job security Respondents who started <=3 years: 1. Salary 2. Opportunities for promotion/growth/development 3. Location of work site *Reporting based on overall score of our stated factors. Factors were ranked and weighted by rank.
- 14. Other factors had significant influence The people met during the interview / work climate Job description - what I wanted to do Needed a job Already working there / personal investment Supervisor Changed job for family Spouse already worked there / job opportunity for spouse Training opportunities Dissatisfaction with previous job
- 15. Retention What factors encourage library IT staff to stay in a position?
- 16. Compensation (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Salary Retirement Vacation Professional development Sick time Parking/travel costs Sabbaticals Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant
- 17. Compensation (Satisfaction) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Sick time Vacation Retirement Parking/travel costs Salary Professional development Sabbaticals Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not / Not Offered
- 18. Benefits (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Insurance Vacation Carryforward Materinty/Paternity Leave Tuition Remission Job Security On-site Childcare Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant Totals
- 19. Benefits (Satisfaction) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Insurance Vacation Carryforward Materinty/Paternity Leave Tuition Remission Job Security On-site Childcare Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not / Not Offered
- 20. Work/Life Balance (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Hours/Week Flexible Schedule Telecommuting Onsite Wellness/Fitness Job Sharing Private Space for Nursing Mothers Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant Totals
- 21. Work/Life Balance (Satisfaction) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Hours/Week Flexible Schedule Onsite Wellness/Fitness Telecommuting Private Space for Nursing Mothers Job Sharing Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not / Not Offered
- 22. Location (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% State/Province Proximity to family Length of Commute Population Size Afordable Housing Quality of Public Schools Convenient Public Transportation Recreational Opportunities Climate Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant Totals
- 23. Location (Satisfaction) 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Length of Commute State/Province Proximity to family Recreational Opportunities Population Size Convenient Public Transportation Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not / Not Offered
- 24. Personal Growth (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Variety of Projects Opportunity to Learn New Skills Involvement in Strategic Planning Opportunity to lead projects Opportunity to be innovative/creative Career/Promotion paths New Shiny Stuff On the Job Autonomy Mentoring Programs Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant Totals
- 25. Personal Growth (Satisfaction) 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Variety of Projects Opportunity to Learn New Skills Involvement in Strategic Planning Opportunity to lead projects Opportunity to be innovative/creative Career/Promotion paths Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not / Not Offered
- 26. Org Culture (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant
- 27. Org Culture (Satisfaction) 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not / Not Offered
- 28. Leadership/Management (Importance) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Very Important Important Somewhat Important Little Importance Unimportant
- 29. Leadership/Management (Satisfaction) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Great Extent Sufficiently Somewhat Very Little Not at All
- 30. Retention by Gender How does gender influence factors that encourage people to stay in their jobs?
- 31. Results by Gender: Financial Factors and Benefits Financial factors Retirement contributions rated more highly1 by men Paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick leave) rated more highly by women Benefits Carryover or payout of vacation/sick time rated more highly by women Tuition benefits for self/family rated more highly by men 1"Rated more highly"="more likely to rate as important or very important
- 32. Results by Gender: Location and Work/Life Balance Location – all factors differing by > 5% favored by women State/province, proximity to family, population size, recreational opportunities, and climate. Work/Life Balance - all factors differing by > 5% favored by women Number of hours expected to work, flexible hours/alternative work schedules, telecommuting, onsite fitness/wellness programs, private space for nursing mothers
- 33. Results by Gender: Personal Growth Rated more highly by men Opportunity to be creative/innovative – rated more highly by men Rated more highly by women IT staff involved in strategic planning, idea generation, treated as valuable partners, not just brought in to accomplish tasks – rated more highly by women Mentoring programs – rated more highly by women
- 34. Results by Gender: Environment/Organizational Culture, Leadership/Management Environment and organizational culture - all factors differing by > 5% favored by women Work space, diverse workforce, diverse senior management, relationship with coworkers, affinity groups, environmental sustainability/recycling, type of organization Leadership and management Men and women differed by > 5% on only one factor: Recognition/appreciation for my work, which was favored by women
- 35. Overall importance by Gender More important to men Work/life balance Personal growth More important to women Work environment/organizational culture Leadership/management – more important to women Least-important factors – no variance of > 5% by gender for items ranked 6 or 7.
- 36. !!! Discussion / Questions ??? $ < Y!X > $?
- 37. Please take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B2RVW77 Slides will be posted to the LITA Forum site after the conference. Special thanks to the members of our team who couldn’t be here Mark Dehmlow, Program Director, Information Technology, Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame Lisa O'Hara, Head, Discovery & Delivery Services, University of Manitoba Libraries Stephanie Walker, Dean of Libraries and Information Resources, University of North Dakota photo by flickr user walkingsf
- 38. Appendix A closer look at the data used in this presentation.
- 40. How people found their Library IT job All respondents (342): Method % * Method (Other) % Internal posting (if you were already employed at the institution before taking the position) 19.6 Reassigned/institution reorg/promotion 3.8 Listserv/Mailing list/discussion board 17.8 Newspaper ad/print ad any publication 2.3 Invitation to apply by a colleague/manager 17.5 Friend/Spouse/Relative shared it 2.0 Institutional website 14.3 invitation from a person who is at the institution 1.2 Invitation to apply by a former colleague/manager 6.1 job listing website / Neo-gov / state website 1.2 Professional Publication 4.7 Other library association job center 0.6 University placement program, job fair, etc. 2.9 Friend from library school / professional network 0.6 Social Media 1.8 referral / referral by social media (twitter) 0.6 Invitation to apply by a recruiter/headhunter 1.5 took initiative - gave resume to institution 0.3 ALA Placement Center 0.9 unemployment office 0.3 *The percentage is adjusted to include “other” comments that matched with what we meant the category to represent.
- 41. How people found their Library IT job Those who started within the past 3 years (57): Method % * Method (Other) % Internal posting (if you were already employed at the institution before taking the position) 24.3 Reassigned/institution reorg/promotion 4.1 Institutional website 18.9 Friend/Spouse/Relative shared it 2.7 Listserv/Mailing list/discussion board 16.2 invitation from a person who is at the institution 2.7 Invitation to apply by a colleague/manager 16.2 Friend from library school / professional network 1.4 Invitation to apply by a former colleague/manager 6.8 Newspaper ad/print ad any publication 0.0 Social Media 4.1 job listing website / Neo-gov / state website 0.0 Professional Publication 2.7 Other library association job center 0.0 University placement program, job fair, etc. 0.0 referral / referral by social media (twitter) 0.0 Invitation to apply by a recruiter/headhunter 0.0 took initiative - gave resume to institution 0.0 ALA Placement Center 0.0 unemployment office 0.0 *The percentage is adjusted to include “other” comments that matched with what we meant the category to represent.
- 42. Social Media Platforms Used Social Media Platform ( all respondents) % Social Media Platform (<=3 years) % None because none existed when I was performing my search 40 Other: None, I already worked here (17 of 18) 38 Other 29 LinkedIn 32 Facebook 15 Facebook 30 LinkedIn 12 Twitter 19 None because I don’t use social media 11 Glassdoor 17 Twitter 9 None because I don’t use social media 6 Glassdoor 8 YouTube 4 YouTube 3 None because none existed when I was performing my search 4 Google + 1 Google + 0 Pinterest 1 Pinterest 0
- 43. Got to meet the team and ask questions All respondents % <=3 years % Met the team members they’d be working with 81 Met the team members they’d be working with 81 Met other future, relevant collegues 67 Met other future, relevant collegues 68 Was able to ask questions of perspective employer 95 Was able to ask questions of perspective employer 98 All respondents % <=3 years % Yes 44 Yes 47 Somewhat 30 Somewhat 37 No 25 No 16 Which influenced their decision to take the job …
- 44. Influencing factors for accepting the job Factors All respondents (%) <=3 years (%) Rank (all/3yr) Diversity of Workforce 3.72 4.00 12 / 12 Flexible Hours/alt work schedules/telecommuting 6.93 7.21 7 / 8 Insurance benefits for self/family 8.24 7.79 2 / 5 Location of work site (city, climate, housing opts,…) 8.05 8.33 4 / 3 Opportunities for promotion/growth/development 7.78 8.57 6 / 2 Organization's mission and values 6.45 7.25 8 / 7 Paid time off (vacation, sick time, etc.) 7.98 7.65 5 / 6 Perceived job security 8.19 7.98 3 / 4 Perception of employer as family-friendly 4.98 5.03 11 / 11 Prestige/reputation of the Institution 5.49 5.09 10 / 10 Salary 9.54 9.73 1 / 1 Tuition benefits for self/family 5.71 5.14 9 / 5
- 45. Influencing factors for accepting the job from the comments Factors cited in comments # of respondents People met during interview / work climate 19 Job description – what I wanted to do 15 Needed a job 14 Already working there / personal investment 10 Supervisor 7 Changed job for family 6 Spouse already worked there 4 Training opportunities 4 Dissatisfaction with previous job 4 Promotion 3 Wanted to work in a library 3 Reputation of colleagues 2
- 47. Financial factors - by gender Financial Factors Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % Compensation 85 73.91% 100 70.42% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Retirement contributions 75 65.22% 102 71.83% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Paid vacation/holidays 82 71.30% 92 64.79% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Paid sick leave 73 63.48% 76 53.52% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Paid sabbaticals 13 11.30% 13 9.15% 1 0.00% 1 0.00% Professional development funds 62 53.91% 77 54.23% 2 100.00% 0 0.00% Cost of parking/transport 23 20.00% 23 16.20% 0 0.00% 1 100.00%
- 48. Benefits factors - by gender Benefits Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % Insurance benefits for self/family 85 73.91% 100 70.42% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Payout or carry over for unused vacation 55 47.83% 56 39.44% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Maternity/paternity leave 31 26.96% 34 23.94% 1 50.00% 0 0.00% Tuition benefits for self/family 33 28.70% 55 38.73% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Job security (including tenure or union) 81 70.43% 98 69.01% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% On-site childcare 11 9.57% 12 8.45% 1 50.00% 0 0.00%
- 49. Location factors – by gender Benefits Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % State / province 73 63.48% 67 47.18% 2 100.00% 0 0.00% Proximity to family 57 49.57% 61 42.96% 2 100.00% 0 0.00% Population size 34 29.57% 27 19.01% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% Affordable housing 71 61.74% 88 61.97% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Quality of public schools 42 36.52% 55 38.73% 1 50.00% 0 0.00% Recreational opportunities 54 46.96% 57 40.14% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Climate 41 35.65% 43 30.28% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Length of commute 79 68.70% 93 65.49% 1 50.00% 1 100.00% Convenient public transportation 37 32.17% 49 34.51% 0 0.00% 1 100.00%
- 50. Work/life balance factors – by gender Work/Life Balance Factors Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % Number of hours expected to work each week 85 73.91% 96 67.61% 2 100.00% 1 100.00% Flexible hours/alternative work schedules 77 66.96% 100 70.42% 2 100.00% 1 100.00% Telecommuting 48 41.74% 49 34.51% 2 100.00% 0 0.00% Job sharing 8 6.96% 11 7.75% 1 50.00% 0 0.00% Onsite fitness/wellness programs 23 20.00% 16 11.27% 1 50.00% 0 0.00% Private space for nursing mothers 21 18.26% 11 7.75% 1 50.00% 0 0.00%
- 51. Personal growth factors – by gender Personal Growth Factors Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % Variety of interesting projects/assignments 87 75.65% 107 75.35% 2 100 1 100 Opportunity to learn new skills 89 77.39% 106 74.65% 1 50 1 100 IT staff involved in strategic planning, idea generation - treated as valuable partners, not just brought in to accomplish tasks 88 76.52% 102 71.83% 1 50 0 0 Opportunity to lead projects 73 63.48% 85 59.86% 1 50 0 0 Opportunity to be creative/innovative 43 37.39% 65 45.77% 1 50 0 0 Opportunities for promotion/clear career paths 64 55.65% 79 55.63% 1 50 1 100 Availability of advanced/interesting technology or technology initiatives 30 26.09% 30 21.13% 1 50 0 0 Autonomy on the job/ability to be self- directed in performing tasks/ initiating projects 59 51.30% 70 49.30% 1 50 0 0 Mentoring programs 36 31.30% 32 22.54% 1 50 1 100
- 52. Environment and organizational culture – by gender Environment and Organizational Factors Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % Mission, goals, and values of the organization 56 48.70% 66 46.48% 2 100 0 0 Work space (office, cubicle, etc.) 66 57.39% 74 52.11% 1 50 1 100 Having the resources needed to do the job well (people, technology, etc.) 90 78.26% 107 75.35% 2 100 1 100 Diverse workforce 42 36.52% 36 25.35% 1 50 1 100 Diverse senior management 46 40.00% 35 24.65% 1 50 1 100 Relationship(s) with coworkers 82 71.30% 93 65.49% 2 100 1 100 Treated with respect by colleagues 85 73.91% 103 72.54% 2 100 1 100 Availability of affinity groups based on race, gender, cultural background, or similar characteristics (e.g. Women in IT) 31 26.96% 18 12.68% 1 50 0 0 Prestige of institution 23 20.00% 34 23.94% 0 0 0 0 Perceived financial stability of organization 75 65.22% 93 65.49% 1 50 1 100 Opportunities to have fun on the job--e.g. social activities, pets at work, celebrations 24 20.87% 34 23.94% 0 0 0 0 Encouragement/support for volunteer work 25 21.74% 26 18.31% 1 50 0 0 Support for environmental sustainability; recycling 45 39.13% 40 28.17% 0 0 1 100 Type of organization (for-profit/non-profit, educational, etc.) 48 41.74% 51 35.92% 1 50 0 0
- 53. Leadership and management – by gender Leadership and Management Factors Rated Important or Very Important Female Male Transgender Other # % # % # % # % Clear expectations 86 74.78% 108 76.06% 2 100 1 100 Evaluation process 57 49.57% 74 52.11% 2 100 1 100 Recognition/appreciation for my work 78 67.83% 89 62.68% 2 100 1 100 Access to/regular communication with senior leadership 73 63.48% 84 59.15% 2 100 1 100 Direct supervisor who listens to me 88 76.52% 108 76.06% 2 100 1 100 Trust in senior leadership 84 73.04% 104 73.24% 2 100 1 100 Trust in direct supervisor 88 76.52% 109 76.76% 2 100 1 100 Library leadership that understands IT work 83 72.17% 100 70.42% 1 50 1 100 Direct supervisor that understands IT work 81 70.43% 105 73.94% 2 100 1 100 Treated with respect by senior library leadership 86 74.78% 102 71.83% 2 100 1 100 Treated with respect by direct supervisor 89 77.39% 111 78.17% 2 100 1 100 Senior leadership that cares about my success 76 66.09% 93 65.49% 2 100 1 100 Direct supervisor who cares about my success 88 76.52% 104 73.24% 2 100 1 100 Ability to disagree with my direct supervisor without negative consequences 87 75.65% 106 74.65% 2 100 1 100
- 54. What matters most – by gender Important (ranked 1 or 2) Less Important (ranked 6 or 7) Retention factors ranked 1 or 2 Female Male Female Male Compensation 69% 72% 4% 8% Benefits 46% 42% 15% 14% Location 22% 22% 36% 32% Work-life balance 18% 23% 21% 21% Personal growth 15% 22% 31% 32% Work environment/organizational culture 17% 8% 48% 47% Leadership/management 16% 10% 42% 45%
Editor's Notes
- Thank you all for coming out this morning, or staying as the case may be. We are here to share some preliminary results of a survey on recruitment and retention issues for library IT staff. Which is still open. We encourage you to share your thoughts if you haven’t already.
- We started by asking these questions.
- There is lots of information on recruiting and retaining IT staff in general. There is some information on recruiting and retaining library staff. But there’s nothing that looks at the intersection of the two So we set out to survey people who currently work in library IT to help answer those questions What attracted you to your position? What is keeping you there? In particular, we will look at highlights concerning: What factors encourage library IT staff to accept a position What factors encourage them to stay Then, as an example of kind of analysis we will do after the survey has concluded, we will break some of that data out by gender At the end of this slide deck we will have an appendix that gives a more complete view of the data so far.
- When we took a snapshot of the data on October, 28th we had 302 total respondents, of which almost 190 fully completed the survey. If we took all of those respondents, and just looked at the top result in each category. Then we made a single Frankenstein's Monster “average library IT survey respondent” it might look like this: If this doesn’t look like you, or your library IT team, and you haven’t taken our survey yet please do. Give us a more complete picture of who you are. -- Stats to have on hand -- They are a white (85%), male (55%) in their late 30’s / early 40’s (31%) They have a spouse or domestic partner (72%), and at least one child under the age of 18 (39%) They are the primary income earner (61%) They work at a college or university (71%) In the US (93%) They are non-librarian staff (46%) Unless you combine all the flavors of librarian (49%) Who has had more than 15 years of library experience (41%), including library IT experience (28%) and has been with their employer (26%)
- We allowed people to check all that applied. Amounts shown are by # of responses, not # of respondents. Some “Other” answers were adjusted to fit into our categories as they appeared to apply. Already working there included: Internal posting (if you were already employed at the institution before taking the position) Invitation to apply by a colleague/manager Reassigned, institutional reorganization, or promotion <- write ins within Other Online includes: Listserv / Mailing list / discussion board Institutional website Social media Other websites that list job postings Knowing someone: Invitation to apply by a colleague / manager <- yes this is in 2 columns, it applies to both Invitation to apply by a former colleague / manager Invitation to apply by a recruiter/headhunter Friend, Relative, Spouse shared it (other comments) Invitation from a person who is at the institution (other comments) Friend from library school/professional network (other comments) Referral (other comments)
- People were allowed to check multiple boxes. Most common “others”: Already worked there/was familiar with the institution – 17/18 <=3 years there in “other” Institutional website <=3 years - 47 respondents - 71 responses
- “Being able to meet members of the team that I'd be working with way a key factor in my decision to take this job. “ “If I were an outside hire, I would not have been able to meet the team or other teams, but I obviously knew them coming in as an internal hire. That prior knowledge did help me make the decision. “ “I had not been scheduled time to meet at length with the staff I would be supervising. During the library tour I asked if I could take 15 minutes to talk with them. I'm glad that I did; getting to hear their take on the job and what was important to them was valuable in my evaluation of the position / offer. “ “Had I not met team members / others in the library, I'm not certain it would have adversely affected my decision to accept the position offered. But it did give me more confidence that I would be a good fit with the team. “ Answered they did meet the people and ask questions but it didn’t influenced their decision, but it should have. “When accepting an offer, it is critical that I have an understanding of who I'll be working with, what factors outside the direct reporting line will influence my work, and how the day-to-day job may differ from the written posting. “ “IT work involves more human interaction than most people realize. Being a good fit for your organization is fantastically important. “ For those that said “No”…
- People were asked to rank these 12 factors from 1 to 12, where 1 = most important. We did provide a “n/a” option and defined it as “not a consideration or was unknown”. Using weighting mechanisms to score which were the most important, the top 3 results were…
- Extra tidbits: The only factor that no one selected was ranking PTO in 12th aka last place. When tracking “All” respondents, the factor selected for 1st most often was “Location of worksite (city, climate, housing options, etc.)” As you would expect, “Tuition Benefits for self/family” applied primarily to folks working in academic institutions. Two people put “Diversity of Workforce” as #1 factor for recruitment. Both identified as “Caucasian” For “family-friendly” factor, men ranked it slightly higher than women when all responses were considered (men=4.95 women=4.86). However that flipped, if the person had dependent children (men=5.85 women=6.32) Top 3 for men: salary, job security, insurance Top 3 for women: salary, insurance, opportunities for promotion/growth Top 3 for Secondary or equal income earner for household: salary, location, insurance Top 3 for people (9) who have been in Library IT for less than 1 year: Flexible hours, salary, location and Organization’s mission and vision (tied) Top 3 by age: Under 25 = Organization’s mission & values, salary, tuition benefits (1 respondent) 25-34 = salary, location, opportunities for promotion/growth (64 respondents) 35-44 = salary, job security, PTO (84 respondents) 45-54 = salary, insurance, job security (79 respondents) 55 or older = location, job security, insurance (42 respondents)
- These are from the comments. “Was a full time, benefited position in a public library in the {specific location}. I'd take Library Executioner if it was a full time, benefited position in a {specific location} public library. “ “I greatly enjoy reading” People / work climate = 19 Job description = 15 Needed a job = 14 Already there = 10 Supervisor = 7 Changed job for family = 6 Spouse already there / job for spouse = 4 Training = 4 Dissatisfaction with previous job = 4 Promotion = 3 Wanted to work in a library = 3 Previous student of the university = 2 Reputation of colleagues = 2 Full time with benefits = 2 $$ for prof. memberships = 1 Number of women in leadership = 1 I greatly enjoy reading = 1 Liberal arts emphasis = 1 Thought it was a progressive tech institution =1 Level of the position = 1 Autonomy = 1 Retirement benefits = 1 Reorg = 1
- Incentives for retention Welcome to the Retention portion of our lightning *Lightning Awww…* (like the Miatas’ reaction to seeing Lightning McQueen in Cars) preliminary results summary. Covering the overall categories before digging into the Pit of Despair (albino from Princess Bride) *cough cough*. Respondents reported compensation and benefits factors in the top tier for guiding their decisions relating to keeping their current job or moving to a new job. In descending order, then ranked Work/life balance, Location, Personal Growth, Organizational Culture / Work Environment , closely trailed by leadership and management factors. Looking deeper into the survey responses…
- Salary, retirement, vacation, sick time, sabbaticals, professional development, & parking/travel costs * No surprise (at least to me), salary is reported as the most important factor to stay in a job... Golden handcuffs? Sign Me Up! *quiver* Clearly the most important factor, 90% reported important or higher But, there were two respondents reporting that this factor was not important at all… Personally, I’d like to be in that situation, too * Retirement Plan is reported to be the second-most important factor… To Dream, the impossible dream… (singing if you can remember the tune) About 90% report this as at least important or higher Nobody reported this as “unimportant” Paid Vacation/Holidays Won’t you take me to, Funkytown? (sing if you can remember the words/tune) Paid vacation came in at a close third, respondents reported this is almost as important as the retirement plan Compared to Compensation and Retirement the Vacation “most important” and “important” categories merely swap percentages reported Professional Development While professional development is a lot more important than sabbaticals, it’s not quite up to the level of paid sick time About 60% report this is at least important, but the data is pretty mixed One quarter of respondents report ambivalence to this as an incentive Paid Sick time I’m so tired, ain’t it a cryin’ shame (in Madeline Kahn voice) Paid sick time, similar to Paid Vacation, had more respondents rate it “important” than “most important” Cost of Parking/Transportation Similar to sabbaticals, this looks like it’s not a thing in library IT (or maybe most respondents don’t have to pay for parking?) Less than half of respondents report ambivalence or more toward this as an incentive Satisfaction indicators for parking suggest a completely mixed bag, more crunching needed to suss out all the permutations Paid Sabbaticals Apparently sabbaticals are very much not a thing in Library IT? More than half report there is no opportunity or the likelihood is so low that a paid sabbatical is of little to no importance Sabbaticals are the most unimportant factor in retaining library IT according to the survey respondents
- Insurance, vacation carryover, Maternity/Paternity Leave, Tuition, Security, On-site childcare Insurance self/family 70% + 20% = 90% Important or higher Vacation carryover or payout of unused 20% 35% = 55% Important or higher 25% + 13% = ~40% somewhat or little importance Maternity/Paternity Leave 15% + 15% = 30% Important or higher 43% rate as unimportant Tuition Benefits ~45% Important or higher ~45% somewhat or little importance Job Security (tenure, union, etc.) 85% Important or higher On-site childcare 60% unimportant (I wonder if this maps back to the survey demographics where the largest cohort is 55 and older) ~70% report this factor is generally not offered at all
- Insurance, vacation carryover, Maternity/Paternity Leave, Tuition, Security, On-site childcare The pattern is also kind of a cats-cradle, isn’t it? I read this to say Insurance is what most people pay attention to and seem to be glad to have Insurance self/family 85% report this factor is generally satisfied or better Vacation carryover or payout of unused 60% report this factor is generally satisfied or better ~25% report this is not offered Maternity/Paternity Leave, Tuition Benefits, Job Security (tenure, union, etc.) Are kind of a mixed bag – no easily observed patterns in preliminary explorations On-site childcare 60% unimportant (I wonder if this maps back to the survey demographics where the largest cohort is 55 and older) ~70% report this factor is generally not offered at all
- Q25 Incentives for retention *work/life balance* Two items jump out as important: work hours per week & the flexibility to make them work (no pun intended) A few items seem to be superfluous: on-site fitness and wellness stuff & private space for nursing mothers I wonder if demographics affect this last category result – For example, I rated this category “very important” as I know my wife’s then-employer had nothing like this and we both tried to get them to implement one. But until we told my mom about the effort, she hadn’t ever considered it.
- Q25 Incentives for retention *work/life balance* We reported satisfaction or better with work hours & flexibility – which is good, since we also rated these as really important We reported being dissatisfied with our Telecommuting options and our onsite fitness/wellness stuff. Which leaves the spaces for nursing mothers – we’ll have to run the demographic, but my bet is the breeders among us (like my family) are pretty dissatisfied
- Q24 Incentives for retention *location* Location, location, location. If you haven’t got location, go to where it’s on your side. The top three concerns about location are The state/province (maybe state of confusion?), proximity to family (near or fa away, I won’t judge), and length of commute (I went from a 100 mile daily commute on rural TN interstates (only 3 tickets per year!) to a two and a quarter mile commute (which I used to be good about walking) – for me, the commute sold me the house I bought. Everything else is kind of a mixed bag – but the climate (that thing we still can’t control outside) is also the least important consideration (which is funny to me, because the heat keeps me out of the South & the cold keeps my wife out of the Great White North, eh?)
- Q24 Incentives for retention *location* For each of these categories half to three quarters of us report being satisfied with where we live and what’s available to us (which is likely why we mostly stopped moving around)
- Q26 Incentives for retention *personal growth* Of all the categories in the Personal Growth incentive area, there were a <1% of total possible responses were less than neutral As long as we get opportunities for interesting assignments, learning new stuff, involvement and recognition for strategic planning ideas and participation, lead projects, promotion, play with cool new shiny, and to be self-directed… we’re pretty happy.
- Pretty much any theatre Diva would be happy with at least half of that Respondents report they are generally happy with the situation in these areas *except* (lack of) participation in the strategic planning process and lack of promotion potentials within their organizations
- Q27 Incentives for retention *work environment / organizational culture* Generally as long as the level of perceived fun in the dysfunction was acceptable, things are at least okay. Very important areas are 1. Having needed resources available, 2. Being treated with respect, & 3. Relationships with co-workers (minds out of the gutters, please). Financial stability, good workspaces, and institutional mission & goals are also important The items covering diversity of bosses and colleagues caused me to pause a moment. I’m glad the respondents weighting the importance of these outweighed those weighting this less important.
- Generally the IT crowd responding to the survey was okay with their work culture but not enamored with the lack of necessary resources Respondents were also dissatisfied about the state of diversity in senior management – though not so much amongst colleagues? (we’ll need more data to crunch to be able to say this) Tangent: IT/computer science/LITA need to radically engage under-represented populations. We are too insular – look around the room – we all look way too much like me. Well, okay many of you need more facial hair to really look like *me* but the point still stands. Without new faces to challenge established thought patterns, without with new ideas, without getting outside our comfort zones – we risk stagnating.
- Q28 Incentives for retention *leadership/management* Hey library leaders and library IT managers, the bar is set really high for you. We want clear expectations, evaluations, to have access to you, to be able to trust you. We want to be treated with respect and we want to be able to respect you.
- Congratulations, in the aggregate our leaders and managers are reported as doing pretty well.
- We plan to break out the data by other factors in addition to gender once the survey period is completed.
- The items I share here are items in which males and females differed by more than 5 percentage points. The appendix includes tabular data showing the exact breakdowns. Note: by “rated more highly,” we mean “more likely to rate as important or very important.” This designation applies to all slides in this section. Financial factors included compensation, retirement, paid leave, and other factors that specifically include financial compensation. Benefits included the usual suspects – insurance, paid leave, and tuition benefits, as well as job security and carryover/payout of paid time off.
- Location-related factors included a variety of aspects. In all cases where there was a difference of at least 5% between men and women, the item was rated higher by women. Work/life balance: all factors except job sharing were rated more highly by women.
- More variance around personal growth factors.
- More variance around personal growth factors.
- This question asked respondents to rank all seven areas – compensation, benefits, work/life balance, etc. – by relative importance. We analyzed each item to see which ones were ranked 1 or 2 or 6 or 7 to capture the most and least important items by gender. This slide lists items for which there’s a difference of more than 5% between men and women.
- We’d love to hear your thoughts, especially re: what else you’d like to know that wasn’t presented here and how you might use this data (if you would). We want to be sure that the article with the complete findings is as useful as possible.
- As we mentioned at the beginning of the program, these are preliminary results. We plan to leave the survey open till the end of November, so please consider taking it if you haven’t already. And please share the link with others who might be interested. We’ll send a reminder to lita-l and other library technology listservs after the conference. Slides are posted at the link shown. We didn’t want to clutter our presentation slides with a bunch of tables, so we put more detailed results at the end of the slide deck . Take a look if you’re interested. Several members of our research team couldn’t be here. They all helped with the development of the survey.
- We allowed people to check all that applied. Amounts shown are by # of responses, not # of respondents. Already working at the institution was the most common answer with a sum total of 41% Online was used 35% Knowing someone, whether professionally or otherwise, was the 3rd most common way of finding out about the job: 30 (29.5)% “It’s who you know…”
- We allowed people to check all that applied. Already working at the institution was the most common answer with a sum total of 45% up by 4% Online was used 39% up by 4% Knowing someone, whether professionally or otherwise, was the 3rd most common way of finding out about the job: 30% “It’s who you know…” The same
- {Am thinking I should resort this so that the platform is alphabetical and there are 2 more columns, one for each category} Most common “others”: Already worked there/was familiar with the institution Institutional website People were allowed to check multiple boxes. <=3 years - 47 respondents - 71 responses
- {Trying the re-sort. Are the colorings too distracting? Figure out what tuition benefits impact for only academic. Read the comments.} Total respondents = 252 <=3 years 54 respondents Salary #1 for both Top 3 for all: Salary Insurance Job security Top 3 for those hired within the past 3 years: Salary Opportunities for promotion/growth/development Location
- People / work climate = 19 Job description = 15 Needed a job = 14 Already there = 10 Supervisor = 7 Changed job for family = 6 Spouse already there / job for spouse = 4 Training = 4 Dissatisfaction with previous job = 4 Promotion = 3 Wanted to work in a library = 3 Previous student of the university = 2 Reputation of colleagues = 2 Full time with benefits = 2 $$ for prof. memberships = 1 Number of women in leadership = 1 I greatly enjoy reading = 1 Liberal arts emphasis = 1 Thought it was a progressive tech institution =1 Level of the position = 1 Autonomy = 1 Retirement benefits = 1 Reorg = 1
- Gender: not huge differences by gender, even on typically (stereotypically?) “family” issues.