Jobs Switching in IT Industry

Introduction:

My topic of discussion is why Software Engineers/IT professionals switch their job early in the career. What are the circumstances of switching jobs? What are the reasons behind switching jobs? How organizations suffer when professional switch their jobs? How Software Engineers/IT professionals suffer when they switch their jobs? What is the impact on IT industry with that? What are the social impacts of switching jobs? What are the Ethical impacts of switching jobs?

There are different reasons of switching jobs of Software Engineers/IT professionals. Some people switch their jobs because of low salary package and less facilities of current organization; while on the other hand, some people switch their jobs because they want to learn some other technology and they are not willing to work in current technology. People do not feel job security and political involvement in organization which people normally do not like is also a very big reason of leaving an organization. Some IT individuals wants to work as a manager and that organization does not give him chance to work as a manager.

Sometimes people are committed to an organization. They don’t switch their jobs. They think that they are in the industry because of that organization and organization is also fair with that person. You should loyal to your organization and own your organization.

At that time, People are moving to computing era, even a small shop has an information system. Most of the students want to study IT in higher Education. So there are so much Software Engineers/IT professionals in Industry. Everyone wants good job and good environment for his/her job. Achieving good and better is also a factor of switching jobs of people. People do not satisfy from their jobs, people thinks that they should be paid more and organization is not serving them good facilities. They compare their organization with top level organizations and they conclude that their organization does not serving them.

Sometimes organizations want one person to work of two persons, for example an organization hires you as a developer, but they are required to you that first you design that product, and then develop and after that you test that. It is unfair, organization is paying you for development, then why they require that you design and test it.

Job switching turnover of male is higher than female. Mostly people switch or leave their jobs because of MS/M.PHIL. Low salary employee job switching turnover is high because they may have some financial problems.

Background of that issue

Before some decades, IT industry was not so established that it is now a days. There were very few people of IT and it was not a growing industry. Software Engineers/IT professionals were hired normally in banks for using and maintaining their working. So there was no competition as it is now. Jobs were rare, so when people was in a bank, they don’t think to change their bank because they feel that they will be unemployed if they leave that bank. At that time people were not switching their jobs. When IT industry has started growing, everyone wanted to become an IT professional, now there are so many IT professionals but job is announced, most of them are not eligible for that job.

How Organizations suffer:

In IT organizations, Software Engineers/IT professionals are very important and they are considered backbone because they are way of income for organization. An organization has recruiting the people, selecting them and training the people. Employees are considered the asset and precious resource of an organization. An organization is embarrassed when people switch their jobs. A person who is developing product of organizations for 5 years, when he/she goes from that organization, organization will have to hire a new person who will take same time to understand the environment and process of those products. Most of the times organizations suffers when its employees change jobs to other organization, they spent their money and resources to make a person good professional and when people leave that organization they have to hire someone else. They should train new person and it is wastage of time and resources of the organization. Organizations give different offers to the person who is leaving the organization. If that person have financial problems or there is a big offer then the person will reverse the switching job decision, Otherwise his decision will retain. Most of the times Organizations emotionally blackmail the person who is switching job like you are very dare to us please don’t go or you are very precious resource of our organization and our organization will suffer when you leave job. Sometimes managers says that we will not give you experience certificate when you leave organization. These are the tactics which IT organizations use to prevent people from switching their jobs. Some people do not have good relations with colleagues and they change their jobs because their colleagues are not cooperating. Software professionals may have some problems with management. Some managers oppress their subordinates and that makes a critical environment. A person switched from an organization to another may leak the organizational secret of previous organization. Even people copy code of products and then sell it to some other organization which is competitor of old organization. It is ethically and morally unfair.

Some people, they fed up with same work and same people working with them, so they change their jobs and organization. It is nature of man that he fed up doing same work for long time. IT professional will feel anxiety and find alternative jobs to some other organization. Organization will also suffer, if a person does not work with concentration then it will effect organization working environment and other people will also affect with that situation.

It is not negatively impacts all the times, sometimes when you switch job, you will feel happy. New organization may be more cooperative and helping for you. You will have more chances to enhance you skills and you are working in your desired technology.

How Software Engineers/IT professionals suffer:

Most of the times Software Engineers/IT professionals switch their jobs because of financial issues. The other organization offers them more salary and tries to hijack them from that organization; Person will switch his/her job because they are paying more. When that person switches job may be his/her new colleagues are not cooperative and helping then old was. He/she will be paid more but will not be satisfied. There may be chance that new manager is very strict in behavior and different restrictions are imposed to him/her. One thing is achieved but other factor are lacking like job satisfaction. When someone switches job, may be new organization is working in some other technology and it will be very difficult for him/her to switch that technology. So before switching jobs that factors should be checked and then job must be switched.

Social and Ethical impacts:

If an organization is fair with you then why are you leaving that organization just for money? Money does not matter all the times. Sometimes the technology in which you are working is very growing and you can grow in it but leaving that organization will negatively impact you. Normally in the industry it is considered that .NET and Java languages are growing technologies and people can grow rapidly when they start career with that organization and PHP is not growing technology.

Sometimes the organization you are leaving is socially rich. People are good and have good relationship with you. You are socially connected with people in the organization, there is home like environment in organization. But when you switch that organization, the new organization is boring and no one knows you and they are only machines and no one is socially improved. You will feel anxiety and fed up with that type of environment. Then maybe you realize that you did wrong to switch job.

I know a software house in Islamabad where specific time is allocated for gaming of employees, on that specific time they play games on their allocated PC’s on network. I think this is very productive approach by that organization; it is a research that gaming can make your brain more productive which is good for your organization as well. This will lead the people of organization loyal and honest to that organization and they will socially connect to each other which will less the job switching turnover.

Impacts on IT industry

IT industry will feel unsecure with the situation of switching jobs early in the career. They will not trust any new person. Switching jobs will affect their organizations.

With the situation of switching jobs early organizations will make a policy. They will sign from you a contract that you can’t switch your job before specific period or specific project; otherwise your decision may be challenged in court. Most of the times organizations ask you on interview that how many time will you work in our organization.

There will be a positive impact on the IT industry. When people switch their jobs, may be they will be working in the technology in which they want to work. It will increase their performance of work because they are working in the technology in which they want to work. It will increase the overall performance of IT industry; to some extend industry should encourage the jobs switching which are on logical basic.

Now people are coming towards IT field, they even don’t think that whether they should go to that field or not. It will negatively impact on the industry. People who are not interested, they will come to the industry and they become hurdles to IT professionals.

Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction is another big issue of switching jobs of Software Engineers/Software Engineers/IT professionals. When a person will satisfy from his/her job he/she will work with concentration. An organization should create such an environment that satisfies its employees. There are three to achieve satisfaction from job.

Existence: everybody wants his/her existence on organization. If he does not have such salary that he/she can live comfortably then he/she will feel anxiety, he/she thinks that if that organization cannot govern me for my basic needs then why I am doing my job here. He/she does not trust on organization and switch job to someone other organization.

Relatedness: The relationship with colleagues. This is very key point; if relationship is not good then you cannot work smoothly in that organization. In IT industry work is breakdown into different modules and modules are assigned to different group of people. If someone does not have good relationship with other group members then how can he/she work smoothly with others?

The third point is growth of designation. If you does not promote to higher level then it will make you against the organization. If your organization does not provide you a chance to grow up professionally then you will be fed up from organization which leads to switch that organization to other.

There is another point which is 100% satisfaction can’t be achieved. You have to compromise some thinks. IT professional should balance the whole situation.

My Opinion

My opinion is that mostly people change their jobs because of money. When someone gets more money from other organization they will move to that organization. People suffer when they change organization. New organizations colleagues may not be so cooperative.

There are some people who switch their jobs because of technology, because they don’t want to work in that organization. I know one of my senior in the university to whom .NET job is offered with high salary package by an organization but he refused and argued that I am expert in Java and I don’t want to work in .NET technology because it is not my field.

I am sorry to say that our educational institutes does train student practically for professional. They only teach theories of courses. When student switch to industry, they don’t know new technologies and don’t know which technology is to adopt. They feel very anxiety and switch jobs.

Conclusion

The conclusion of that discussion is that job switching turnover is very high in IT industry but it has also a positive factor. When you go to the organization, you should decide in one or two months that whether you can work with that organization or not.

When people don’t want to work with an organization then they should switch. When they will not be satisfied with their jobs then how then can work with concentration, but when switching a job an IT professional should be aware of ethical and moral issues and they may not harm that organization.

IT industry should think about that issue. Organizations should take care of their employee, own their employee. Organizations should review the salaries of employee after 6 months or any other period of time. They should give bonus to their employees, give time to them for entertainment and become socially connected to other colleagues. Organizations should not be so strict to the employees because it will make employees against the organization.

IT professionals/Software Engineers should also act like a good professional. They should not leave the organization just for money. If organizations give them something, then they should return back. Organization is paying them, so they should work with loyalty and honesty.