Under what conditions is it worth hiring IT staff?

The IT job market offers many forms of cooperation to both employees and employers. Each of these groups has its own interests, each pays attention to different aspects that a given form of cooperation imposes on them. In the case of IT specialists, we are undoubtedly dealing with an employee’s market, so acquiring a high-class expert requires a lot of flexibility from employers in many areas – salary, development opportunities, additional benefits and the ability to choose the form of cooperation. More and more often, experienced specialists want to work as contractors, hired only for the duration of a specific project, be able to choose an employer, and even work on several orders from different companies at the same time, which gives them the opportunity to earn extra money. Knowledge of the forms of cooperation available on the market will allow you to meet the expectations of employees specializing in IT, as well as to optimize costs.

Permanent employment

An employment contract is the most popular form of employment. However, it does not work for most IT specialists, especially those with several years of experience. It can even be said that companies offering candidates an employment contract may have a problem with recruiting very experienced IT specialists, because they prefer self-employment or other forms of cooperation that ensure their independence. In addition, salaries for IT specialists working under an employment contract, due to the high costs of employment on the employer’s side, can be lower by up to 25-30% than for people who have their own business.

It is worth offering an employment contract to young people, students in their final years or IT graduates who are taking their first steps on the labor market. Usually, at the beginning of their career, this is a more beneficial solution, because it allows them to focus on their own development. Any aspects of running a business can interfere with gaining practical experience in your first job – comments Marek Mrozowski, Head of the IT Recruitment Department at IT LeasingTeam.

Project specialist

One of the most flexible forms of cooperation with IT specialists is hiring contractors for the duration of a specific project under the so-called body leasing. The biggest advantage of body leasing is its flexibility, which works best in the case of project work, but is also used in permanent cooperation. The duration of the project can range from a few days to even several years. For candidates, this is an interesting form of cooperation, because they do not have to cooperate with the employer on a permanent basis and can choose the orders in which they are involved. On the other hand, the company, knowing the candidate’s rate, can plan the budget for the entire project or, conversely, choose the right specialist for the budget. A great convenience for companies using this form of employment is the support of a partner specializing in acquiring and delegating employees for contracts. It is worth talking to representatives of several companies to compare the terms of cooperation, the method of recruitment, as well as the conditions offered to working contractors. The tasks of such a company include, m.in others, matching and recruiting the right person, handling all administrative formalities and settlements, and most importantly, providing immediate replacement in the event of illness or leave of absence of the contractor.

For a partner specializing in the secondment of employees on contracts, finding a replacement is not a problem, because it has its own database of freelancers. When the project is completed, the contractor terminates cooperation with the employer, and the company does not incur the costs associated with hiring a person for whom it may no longer have tasks to perform. However, for the duration of the project, it has at its disposal a high-class specialist with a variety of project experience, which would be difficult to obtain from one employer – believes Małgorzata Zalewska, Head of the Sales Department at IT LeasingTeam.

Outsourcing of IT staff

Another form of cooperation is the outsourcing of IT competences to an external company specializing in a given area. It is a solution used in both small and large enterprises. Depending on the company’s profile and the size of the IT department, we can separate one or several competence areas externally, e.g. helpdesk, tests, development of technology in which we do not specialize. In a small company, it may come down to hiring an external company offering IT support services (helpdesk). In practice, it is an IT service depending on the needs of users, consisting in the presence of a delegated specialist in the company for several days. However, in the case of a large company, it may be a team of several dozen people delegated only for its needs. Cooperation as part of the services provided is usually permanent, and the supplier is accountable for the effects of the work performed, its quality and reliability.

Employers’ practices

A few years ago, employers strongly preferred to hire all employees, including IT departments, on a full-time basis. Currently, this situation is different. The vast majority of companies in IT departments employ people in managerial positions and administrators on a full-time basis. Other forms of employment, on the other hand, are most often used by developers and testers, due to the specificity of their work. Companies benefit from body leasing and outsourcing of IT employees because they can focus on their core business. Choosing the right partner to work with is crucial to actually work with the best specialists providing high-quality services at an attractive rate. The model of cooperation should be selected individually and adapted to the current needs of enterprises.

The best solution for the employee

IT specialists have high expectations of their future employers and value freedom. The most important thing is to approach them individually, listen to their needs and, if the company has the opportunity, accept the form of employment preferred by IT specialists. Employers who can offer flexible forms of cooperation are better evaluated by potential candidates.

The form of employment preferred by the candidate very often depends on his current professional or private situation. Usually, IT professionals have a choice between working permanently, under an employment contract, or self-employment in the case of freelancers. Permanent employment is decided by people who care about long and stable cooperation. They are not interested in constantly looking for new projects. Such people usually establish cooperation with the employer for a minimum of 2-3 years.

Self-employment is most often chosen by people who like to work on projects and value freedom in choosing orders and performing work. It also allows them to participate in several projects at the same time and work for even several companies. Undoubtedly, this type of work is an opportunity to gain many different experiences. People working as freelancers perform a specific task or project at a time agreed with the employer. They are involved in the project, but they are not attached to companies – says Marek Mrozowski from IT LeasingTeam.

When looking for the best model of hiring IT staff, it is worth comparing different forms of cooperation, getting to know their pros and cons. This will allow them to make an informed decision about the forms of cooperation offered to IT specialists. Such action can not only increase the attractiveness of the company as an employer, but also optimize the costs of its operations.