Good boss, bad boss

A recent survey of 1,400 randomly chosen individuals by CareerBuilder.com found that of those with:

Good relationships with their bosses:

-- 34 percent had received raises of 6 percent or more in 2004.

-- 16 percent thought they had been overlooked for promotions.

-- 26 percent saw little opportunity for advancement.

Bad relationships with their bosses:

-- 19 percent had received raises of 6 percent or more in 2004.

-- 25 percent thought they had been overlooked for promotions.

-- 63 percent saw little opportunity for advancement.

Spirits up

How confident are you that the job market will improve over the next six months?

57 perecent -- Somewhat confident

30 percent -- Confident or very confident

13 percent -- Not confident

Base: 181 executives

Source: ExecuNet Inc.

Increasing confidence in the job market is awakening the wanderlust among U.S. workers. According to a recent survey of 406 executives, 62 percent aren"t satisfied with their jobs. Among those whose aren"t satisfied, 97 percent plan to change jobs within the next six months.

The survey was conducted by ExecuNet Inc., an executive job search service in Norwalk, Conn. Computerworld"s Thomas Hoffman talked with ExecuNet President Mark Anderson about the job climate for IT executives.

What"s the current market like for CIOs and other senior IT executives? We"re increasingly bullish about the IT area for a number of reasons. Recruiters have been telling us for the last nine or 10 months that the employment market for senior executives is increasing by about 16 percent. We see that for technology executives as well. Since Labor Day, the market has gotten stronger, and companies are extending more executive searches. That"s an indication that the market is going to get better and not decline.

What"s fueling this? It"s really the continued expansion of the economy. In the earlier stages, companies were being cautious, but along about July or August, they started hiring in a stronger fashion.

Are you seeing an increase in demand for short-term or temporary IT executive positions? We don"t track anything in particular in that area, but we have seen a lot more full-time consulting positions. That may also have to do with the [economic] expansion as companies are trying to fill those positions first. From the second quarter to the third quarter, demand for IT management positions was up a solid 5 percent, and CIO hires were up 3 percent.

Charity pays

All things being equal, 72 percent of employed Americans would choose to work for a company that supports charitable causes, according to a new survey sponsored by Deloitte & Touche LLP. The response rate climbs to 87 percent for employed students over the age of 18.

-- 92 percent think companies should support community charities.

-- 87 percent think companies should offer volunteer opportunities to employees.

-- 57 percent think workplace volunteer opportunities improve morale.

Base: 1,328 employed and 841 unemployed U.S. adults

Source: Harris Interactive Inc., Rochester, N.Y., October 2004