Creating a terrific place for IT professionals to work takes greater than providing prime salaries and advantages. It means making a dedication to workers’ well-being and profession progress, offering difficult work, supporting a various workforce, and fostering a constructive and inclusive tradition.And recently it means making IT an integral a part of the enterprise itself. The finest organizations acknowledge the significance of know-how in attaining their targets, partnering with IT professionals to innovate and drive the enterprise ahead.For the 30th yr, Computerworld writer Foundry surveyed giant, midsize, and small organizations to seek out the highest IT employers. Read our particular report back to see which firms made our record and what makes them such fascinating locations to work. To learn the Best Places to Work in IT 2024 report in PDF format, obtain it under. obtain
Our 30th annual report highlights employers that provide IT professionals prime advantages, help a various workforce, present sturdy profession improvement alternatives, and way more. Computerworld
Companies stay bullish on IT — and its folksWith synthetic intelligence, data-driven insights, and digital experiences forming the engines for contemporary enterprise, IT organizations have turn out to be the epicenter for innovation and the enablers of core enterprise technique. Ongoing digital transformation in each business has elevated know-how roles, creating unprecedented alternatives for skilled progress.Despite an unsure international economic system, organizations stay bullish on IT investments — and the individuals who develop, ship, and help digital services. Foundry’s 30th annual Computerworld “Best Places to Work in IT” survey discovered that IT hiring stays regular, raises and promotions are plentiful, and firms are creating novel pathways for reskilling and upskilling workers to adapt to a quickly evolving know-how panorama.Cultivating a extra various IT workforce stays a prime precedence, with most firms supporting myriad initiatives to create communities that foster inclusivity and to supply beforehand untapped candidate swimming pools. And with hybrid and distant fashions effectively established, many IT professionals now have extra flexibility and instruments for working from wherever they’re most comfy whereas creating higher steadiness of their private lives.Perks and advantages apart, our record of winners signifies that probably the most compelling facet of at present’s IT careers is the demonstrable affect know-how can have on the enterprise. “We’re spending less time in the code and more time in the outcomes, which makes it super interesting,” says Scott Howitt, chief digital officer (CDO) of UKG, ranked No. 3 amongst giant organizations within the “Best Places to Work in IT 2024” survey. “With the emergence of data, cloud, Kubernetes, and now AI, it’s a constantly changing and evolving field. We always need a fresh influx of people to help drive the evolution.”Similarly, IT staffers at Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG (East Frisian Tea Company), ranked No. 1 amongst small firms, are spending much less time on programming and extra time “understanding processes and thinking differently,” says Karsten Rösener, CIO of the Germany-based tea producer, which is understood for its “Meßmer” model. “Today, we are ultimately organizational developers and change managers,” provides Rösener.IT in progress modeIn the midst of ongoing layoffs and funds cuts in different components of the enterprise, IT stays a comparatively secure haven for progress and funding. Companies responding to the 2024 Computerworld survey mentioned they’re rising full-time IT head depend by a median of 9% whereas reducing again barely on short-term and contract staff. Most respondents (86%) have elevated the variety of IT workers during the last three years, rising their groups by 44% on common. Looking forward, 71% anticipate continued progress of their IT workforce over the following 12 months. IT turnover charges stay low, at roughly 11% and according to the 2023 survey.Strong hiring is accompanied by a gentle stream of promotions and wage will increase. Across all responding organizations, a median of 15% of IT workers superior into new positions this final fiscal yr, up barely from what the 2023 analysis confirmed. Smaller corporations had been extra prone to uplevel IT workers, at 18%, in comparison with solely 14% of workers promoted at bigger enterprises.
Top 10: IT Growth
Large Companies
Midsize Companies
Small Companies
1
CreationHealth
Ingeus UK Limited
Abarca Health
2
Johns Hopkins Medicine
CHG Healthcare
Denali Therapeutics
3
Graphic Packaging International
National Information Solutions Cooperative
Dataprise
4
RSM US
VyStar Credit Union
BCU
5
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Power Home Remodeling
Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co.
6
Navy Federal Credit Union
Kinaxis
Prezzee Pty
7
UKG
Plante Moran
Complete Technology Services
8
Atrium Health
Miami University
Edafio
9
Mattel
OCLC
Amerisure Mutual Insurance Co.
10
Equinix
Credit Acceptance
MetroStar
It was the uncommon agency that had wage cuts or hiring freezes — 96% of the respondents, throughout all measurement classes, confirmed that there was no energetic retrenching. Among IT workers, 91% had been the beneficiaries of a elevate this final yr, largely at giant retailers (95%) and fewer so in midsize firms (84%).What’s driving the expansion? At many organizations, know-how’s rising position throughout the enterprise is paving the best way. For instance, biopharma big GSK has positioned know-how on the coronary heart of its mission, which requires continued IT enlargement, says Shobie Ramakrishnan, the corporate’s chief digital and know-how officer. GSK, ranked No. 2 amongst giant firms on this yr’s outcomes, has grown its IT employees by practically 300 professionals this yr. Among the highest drivers of recent IT expertise are information analytics and AI initiatives, together with the speedy improvement of an enterprise ChatGPT utility for natural-language information help.“There is broad recognition across industries that data and technology are a source of competitive advantage, and investing in technology drives the top line, profitability, and productivity,” Ramakrishnan says. “The pandemic just accelerated and precipitated this trend. From there, it is simply a supply-and-demand equation that has driven up hiring and promotions.” Cultivating expertise from insideIn addition to cultivating new expertise, IT organizations on this yr’s survey are actively wanting internally to fill vital roles. On common, 35% of IT vacancies had been full of inside candidates this yr, down barely from the prior yr. IT and HR leaders are doing a number of issues to organize present IT workers for brand new roles. Nine in 10 (92%) are constructing new profession pathways with attainable milestones designed to supply steering and encourage mobility. Access to free profession improvement and consulting companies, provided by 79% of the responding corporations, aids in profession planning. Increases to the IT coaching funds (cited by 62% of the respondents) are being earmarked to fund technical certifications, skilled profession counseling, and enterprise abilities improvement.Offering apprenticeship applications, tuition reimbursement, inside studying platforms, and devoted improvement days are different methods firms are burnishing the talents of workers. Formal mentoring applications are also broadly embraced — cited by 77% of all of the respondents and 81% of the midsize corporations.
Top 10: Career Development
Large Companies
Midsize Companies
Small Companies
1
Oshkosh Corp.
National Information Solutions Cooperative
Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co.
2
VMware
FINRA
Prezzee Pty
3
Ceridian HCM
Power Home Remodeling
Edafio
4
Genentech
Kinaxis
Tokio Marine North America Services
5
Jack Henry
VyStar Credit Union
Dataprise
6
Zimmer Biomet
American Fidelity Assurance Company
Amerisure Mutual Insurance Co.
7
GSK
Five9
MetroStar
8
UKG
Extreme Networks
BCU
9
International Paper
Planned Systems International, Inc.
Axon Active Vietnam Co.
10
Avanade
CHG Healthcare
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
For Power Home Remodeling, No. 3 among the many midsize firms, the mission to construct a finest place to work in IT matches squarely with its distinctive “build vs. buy” know-how technique. As against integrating off-the-shelf functions as a part of its know-how structure, Power builds its vital functions and platforms in-house. Those embody Nitro, Power’s customized software program platform and digital twin, which fashions and runs all aspects of the enterprise. To champion innovation and maintain know-how groups present on the most recent applied sciences, Power hosts Nitro Create each six months. In this week-long dash, builders collaborate and flex concepts — with completely different themes for every occasion starting from schooling, to hack-a-thons, to group service by way of constructing know-how for nonprofit organizations.More not too long ago, Power established the Power Code Academy, which broadens its know-how expertise pool with potential candidates from the enterprise ranks. This immersive six-month coding boot camp is designed for nontechnical workers in enterprise features equivalent to accounting or gross sales to vary their lives and profession by studying software program improvement. Thus far, practically 20 workers have gone by way of this system and brought on new software program improvement jobs.Because it’s dedicated to constructing its personal software program platform, Power emphasizes a tradition of steady studying to foster a group of what Chief Innovation Officer Timothy Wenhold dubs “creators.”“We attract people who want to build something and understand how to interface with the business,” says Wenhold, additionally Power Home Remodeling’s chief working officer and a accomplice. “They have the freedom to create, and the only limitation is their aptitude to grow.”DEI initiatives ramp upAcross the board, firms on this yr’s Best Places lists are demonstrating extra than simply lip service to DEI initiatives, that are manifesting in a extra various IT workforce. Companywide applications embody worker useful resource teams (ERGs), ambassadorships, DEI-focused summits, panel discussions, and management coaching keyed to hot-button points equivalent to microaggressions, unconscious bias, and the significance of constructing various groups. There are additionally efforts to domesticate and supply expertise from nontraditional swimming pools, amongst them partnerships with traditionally Black schools and universities (HBCUs) and different diversity-focused universities and nonprofit organizations, focused internships and recruitment occasions, in addition to mandates for creating job candidate slates reflective of broader range targets.The efforts are slowly shifting the needle in IT. Among U.S. firms on the 2024 Computerworld “Best Places to Work in IT” record, minorities represent one-third of the IT workforce and 26% of the IT managers. Among this yr’s prime performers for workforce range: New York Presbyterian Hospital, the place 72% of the IT workforce and 64% of the IT managers determine as minorities; Amerisure, with minorities comprising 34% of the employees and 37.5% of the IT managers; and The Hartford, with 34% of the IT employees and 38% of the managers figuring out as minorities.Women make up 29% of the IT workforce and 29% of the IT managers amongst this yr’s respondents, only a slight uptick from the 28% averages for each employees and managers in final yr’s report.
Top 10: Diversity
Large Companies
Midsize Companies
Small Companies
1
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
OCLC
Amerisure Mutual Insurance Co.
2
The Hartford
Power Home Remodeling
Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co.
3
UKG
VyStar Credit Union
Dine Brands Global
4
CDW
FINRA
Tokio Marine North America Services
5
San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Co.
Credit Acceptance
BCU
6
Health Care Service Corporation
CHG Healthcare
Dataprise
7
International Paper
CareSupply
MetroStar
8
Community Healthcare System
Plante Moran, PLLC
Prezzee Pty
9
Prince William County Public Schools
Enova
Axon Active Vietnam Co.
10
FedEx Corporation
Extreme Networks
Avaap
Formalized DEI applications and targets are contributing to the progress organizations are making. Most firms surveyed (94%) have a documented DEI technique and have instituted quite a lot of DEI techniques, together with celebrating worker variations (95%), recruitment methods aimed toward attracting various workers (93%), and variety and inclusion coaching (92%). ERGs, worker surveys, and incorporating accessibility into product or know-how methods are additionally widespread techniques for elevating consciousness and assembly core DEI aims.Among the survey respondents, 62% have established DEI champions who’re accountable for selling office range and inclusion. However, lower than one-third (31%) are holding IT and different leaders accountable for attaining DEI targets. A scarcity of accountability might be holding again efforts to speed up range.UKG, ranked No. 3 for range amongst giant organizations, has established illustration targets throughout the corporate, together with a goal of 38% ladies in international tech roles by 2026, up from its present 31%. UKG is leveraging all kinds of initiatives to get there, together with Unified Foundational Learning, a digital, peer-to-peer DEI-focused studying platform; an envoy program to coach and mannequin inclusive management; and 9 ERGs, together with communities for ladies, folks of shade, and dealing mother and father and caregivers.CDO Howitt says range is necessary to tradition however that it’s additionally a vital device for problem-solving, particularly for a software program firm. Establishing groups with illustration from completely different genders, age teams, and cultural makeups allows IT organizations to take a look at issues in distinctive methods and from each angle. The end result, he says, is a lot better enterprise outcomes.At Power Home Remodeling, ranked No. 2 for range amongst midsize firms, the “Strive for 35” marketing campaign is designed to achieve the 35% mark for all new hires to return from underrepresented teams — a aim the corporate has hit two years working, says Wenhold. To court docket extra ladies in tech, the Power Women’s Initiative has championed a number of key advantages aimed toward ladies’s points, together with extra paid parental go away; infertility protection; maternity administration; a healthcare-related journey and lodging reimbursement coverage in response to the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade; and most not too long ago, sponsored little one care.“One of the reasons women leave the workforce is the way most core family structures operate,” Wenhold says. “If we’re going to retain women, we have to address their requirements. This is not a checkbox thing — we look at how to move the needle for the business and people at the same time. If you do the right thing for people, the business thrives.”Settling right into a hybrid workplaceThree years after the onset of the pandemic compelled a speedy shift to distant work, many organizations now have well-established hybrid work fashions, that includes a mixture of distant, hybrid, and in-office workers. More than half of the organizations on this yr’s examine (56%) have a hybrid IT workforce, with 32% totally distant and 12% again within the workplace — the latter group up barely from 10% in final yr’s report. Midsize firms usually tend to embrace a hybrid mannequin (61%), whereas smaller corporations have a larger propensity for distant work (35%).Although many organizations supply people some autonomy for when and the place to work, administration approval is more and more required for these choices. Among the respondents, 62% mentioned they’ve average autonomy, which means that workers have some flexibility, with applicable administration sign-off. The majority of corporations (91%) have established formal insurance policies for versatile work, up considerably from 83% in final yr’s survey.Companies proceed to place instruments and processes in place to allow versatile work, together with investments in collaboration instruments; enhanced safety choices; and cloud-based functions for wherever, anytime entry. To help a collaborative tradition, digital social occasions, buddy programs that pair group members with new hires, and digital useful resource facilities stocked with related communications and coverage info are all designed to assist forge relationships and maintain workers within the know, no matter their bodily location.
Top 10: Hybrid Work
Large Companies
Midsize Companies
Small Companies
1
VMware
Janney Montgomery Scott
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
2
Avanade
Kinaxis
Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co.
3
Oshkosh Corp.
Credit Acceptance
MetroStar
4
Fannie Mae
Ingeus UK Limited
Tokio Marine North America Services
5
Holman
KnowBe4
Matrix Technology
6
Amplifon USA
CareSupply
Edafio
7
Ceridian HCM
OCLC
Prezzee Pty
8
Avery Dennison
Plante Moran
Denali Therapeutics
9
RSM US
Miami University
Dataprise
10
Probe CX
FINRA
Connectria
BCU, the No. 4 small firm on this yr’s survey, has no formal tips for the place folks work, and it doesn’t intend to vary course anytime quickly. The firm has invested in “to-go” containers that comprise all the things wanted to face up a distant workspace, together with a “roam” digital desktop setting and collaboration platforms equivalent to Microsoft Teams to make sure that workers can work successfully in any setting, says Scott Zulpo, BCU’s senior vp and chief know-how officer.Providing staff the flexibleness to work the place they work finest is a part of the Credit Union’s tradition, which is goal-oriented and places an emphasis on belief, he explains. The ethos additionally helps BCU appeal to high-caliber expertise that in any other case might need been out of attain. “Some technology skills are very hard to find,” Zulpo says. “By opening up hiring to someone who can work remotely, we gain access to some excellent talent.”Beyond fostering extra collaborative hybrid work, it’s equally necessary to create an IT setting that drives engagement and integrates new workers. At East Frisian Tea Company, designated in-office days allow groups to assemble to supply updates on their work. Open seating plans foster further collaboration amongst colleagues who might not work intently collectively day-to-day.“This leads to new constellations with people who have not sat together before,” says Rösener, the CIO. “These measures support team spirit. Socializing and exchange are our standards here.”
Top 10: Employee Engagement
Large Companies
Midsize Companies
Small Companies
1
Total Quality Logistics
Power Home Remodeling
Dataprise
2
Kaiser Permanente
FINRA
Complete Technology Services
3
Genentech
CHG Healthcare
Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co.
4
Oshkosh Corporation
VyStar Credit Union
BCU
5
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Credit Acceptance
Denali Therapeutics
6
Navy Federal Credit Union
Plante Moran
Prezzee Pty
7
The Hartford
KnowBe4
Tokio Marine North America Services
8
University of Notre Dame
National Information Solutions Cooperative
Connectria
9
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Enova
Matrix Technology
10
CreationHealth
American Fidelity Assurance Company
Avaap
A concentrate on worker wellnessWhile supporting versatile work fashions, organizations are additionally exploring methods to assist groups keep face-to-face connections. Gym memberships; on-site health facilities; meditation rooms; and entry to yoga instructors, chiropractors, and therapeutic massage therapists are among the many wellness advantages provided to entice workers again into the workplace. Similarly, some firms have introduced again sponsored cafeterias, full with chef-inspired wholesome meal decisions together with barista bars to encourage worker interactions in a extra informal, enjoyable setting.Amid a plentiful number of advantages and perks, firms are zeroing in on wellness, work/life steadiness, and applications that talk to workers’ sense of function — all extracurriculars that resonate notably with youthful workers. To encourage workers’ sense of group, firms are providing paid day without work to “pay it forward” and commit time to ardour tasks in addition to volunteer hours at organizations equivalent to Habitat for Humanity and meals banks.
Top 10: Benefits
Large Companies
Midsize Companies
Small Companies
1
Genentech
OCLC
Denali Therapeutics
2
Zimmer Biomet
Kinaxis
BCU
3
International Paper
Extreme Networks
Dataprise
4
GSK
Guardant Health
Prezzee Pty
5
Oshkosh Corporation
FINRA
Dine Brands Global
6
VMware
KnowBe4
Avaap
7
UKG
Tokyo Electron US Holdings
Amerisure Mutual Insurance Co.
8
RSM US
A+E Television Networks
Tokio Marine North America Services
9
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
CME Group
Ostfriesische Tee Gesellschaft GmbH & Co.
10
Avanade
CHG Healthcare
Abarca Health
Kinaxis, ranked No. 5 for midsize firms on this yr’s survey, has singled out providing wellness advantages as a method to interact workers and likewise to make sure that they’re working at full capability, in line with CIO Yvonne Holland. In addition to providing an on-site fitness center; free health courses; and on-site specialists in areas equivalent to diet, therapeutic massage, and psychological well being, the corporate hosts common digital health challenges. In 2022, 403 Kinaxis athletes participated within the challenges globally, logging practically 185,000 hours in exercise time, each working and biking.Wellness-minded perks assist folks construct bonds, higher handle work pressures, and reside a more healthy way of life. But the actual advantages come from serving to workers reside as much as their potential. “When you’re healthy, it’s easier to do everything,” Holland says. “We want to help people feel better and make it easier to show up every day and do their work.”With know-how because the core basis and key enabler of enterprise, an IT profession can include lengthy hours, a lot of stress, and the problem of juggling a number of constituencies’ wants. Yet it additionally supplies unprecedented alternative to affect enterprise technique and drive transformation. For that purpose and the numerous others that this yr’s winners display, it’s a compelling time to be in IT. — Beth StackpoleNEXT PAGE: 2024 Best Places to Work in IT rankings and extra