Dive Brief:
- Miami has the happiest CIOs in the U.S., according to a survey of CIO job satisfaction by Robert Half Technology. Miami was followed by Boston, Des Moines, Iowa, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. San Francisco, arguably the U.S.' biggest tech hub, came in at No. 10.
- John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology, says while CIOs are under pressure to innovate and deliver, in some cases those pressures may actually add to their happiness. "Having the opportunity to influence strategy and be a key contributor to success certainly adds to job satisfaction," said Reed in a press release.
- A separate but related survey by Robert Half and Happiness Works found the biggest drivers of job satisfaction among IT professionals were pride in the organization, feeling appreciated and interest in their work. The survey included responses from more than 2,500 U.S. CIOs in 25 metropolitan areas.
Dive Insight:
For companies looking to recruit a CIO, the survey helps spell out that things like feeling appreciated and having an interest in their work may be more valuable to CIOs than money. San Francisco saw the biggest year-over-year salary increase for tech workers this year, with a gain of 3.28%, according to a study released by Hired earlier this month, yet it ranked tenth in terms of CIO happiness in the Robert Half study.
Company culture and offering an interesting or inspiring place to work could also hep sway job candidates. Given the demand for tech talent, trying to compete on pay alone can be a difficult battle to win if you aren’t a Google or an Apple.
