staff management - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

• So Long IT Specialist, Hello Full-Stack Engineer

  GE Capital is rethinking the way it does IT and looking to well-rounded technology professionals to keep pace in a fast-changing business environment.

• How to keep your new IT hires from jumping ship

  With IT talent hard to find and expensive to replace, smart companies are developing IT-specific onboarding programs to attract and retain top tech employees.

• Utility sets IT department on path to self-destruction

  Northeast Utilities has told IT employees that is considering outsourcing IT work to India-based offshore firms, putting as many as 400 IT jobs at risk.

• At last! HR pros who understand IT

  Gone are the days of the clueless HR rep. These pros know and understand IT's needs, helping tech departments make better, faster hires.

• Does anyone in IT truly relax on vacation?

  That IT professionals work on vacation is as obvious as sand on a beach. Some see it as part of the job bargain, and maybe there's something to relish about being indispensable.

• How Rackspace hires admins: Textbook questions vs. break-fix challenges

  Luke Owen liked working at Rackspace, but he really appreciated the camaraderie he had with some of his fellow employees. They had some ideas about creating a business.

• Worst -- and best -- IT interview questions

  Why are manhole covers round? Why do you ask? Tech managers weigh in on the practice of using brainteasers to screen IT candidates and share their own favorite interview questions.

• Despite uncertainties, 46% of IT employees are looking

  The percentage of IT employees interested in getting a new job is rising, even as they lose confidence in the economic outlook, new survey data shows.

• Immigration reform may spur software robotics

  The Senate immigration bill's H-1B restrictions have clearly upset Indian firms. But sometimes being in a tough spot can prompt new ways of approaching problems. One firm is implementing software robots.

• An H-1B jobs database the tech industry may hate

  The intent of the comprehensive immigration bill's H-1B database is to improve the odds that a U.S. worker will be hired over a foreign one. But its effectiveness may depend on fuzzy terms such as "good faith" hiring, and enforcement. This is where the real legislative battle may be fought.

• Job well done? Better ways to assess tech employees

  No more counting lines of code: Managers look for new ways to assess IT employee performance.

• IT workers to management: NOW can we telecommute?

  IT is one of the last corporate functions to embrace telecommuting. It turns out the last remaining barriers are more cultural than technical.

• IT training gets an extreme makeover

  From movie-like videos with comedy sketch warmups to hands-on freestyle hacker contests with big cash prizes, fresh approaches to training are helping a new generation of IT professionals get engaged in their training.

• The Grill: Maridan Harris, VP of IT at Philips North America

  Maridan Harris, vice president of IT at Philips North America, shares her ideas on how to build teams that enjoy work as much as she does.

• Managing IT contractors presents unique challenges

  Hiring contract tech workers is a quick, easy way to staff up a project or offload mundane tasks -- but managing them can be ticklish.