UK.biz: recruiting talent the number one IT problem

Fail to put two and two together on flexible working

By Chris Williams • Get more from this author

Posted in Small Biz, 2nd July 2007 14:30 GMT

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IT directors say their number one problem is recruiting and retaining talent. Despite this, they put flexible teleworking at the bottom of their list of priorities.

That's the finding of a survey of 600 UK businesses with up to 1,000 staff by Cisco. Firms which had boosted their turnover by 15 per cent or more in the last year were twice as likely to be flexible on home working.

The poll turned up another weapon for IT managers to wield during their own contract negotiations, however. The survey showed that the fastest growing UK businesses are quick adopters of new technology. Fifty-nine per cent of leaders at the fast-growing firms thought their network was vital, compared to 40 per cent at businesses with zero growth.

They'll have to keep the fact that about a fifth of business managers think their IT department doesn't know where to invest over the next 12 to 18 months quiet, however. That view seems correct: more than a third said they still have no plan for obeying the WEEE directive, which came into force yesterday, and demands better recycling policies on IT gear. ®

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