The best bet is to keep people engaged with a sense of purpose and a strong value proposition — and to realise that CIOs can hire those who leave other employers. Credit: Getty Images The IT talent shortage is a key concern for many New Zealand businesses, and retaining current staff looks to become even more of a headache for New Zealand CIOs in 2022. That survey found that Australia and New Zealand IT staff had the least intention to remain with their current employers than their counterparts in most regions of the world. In a conversation with CIO New Zealand, Datacom CIO and CISO Karl Wright was philosophical about the findings of the survey. “However thin the coin, there remains two sides: those looking to leave are also seeking to join. This means businesses have an opportunity to put their best foot forward with an outstanding employee value proposition that will both retain current and attract the new.” Wright said that, when it comes to retaining staff, Datacom is focused on giving its people learning and development opportunities, “whether that be growing and evolving in their current role or extending their expertise by taking on a completely different role within our business.” He also highlighted that the company strives to create an inclusive environment “where every individual feels valued, where work life balance is celebrated and where people feel like they are part of something bigger than just a nine-to-five job.” At Qrious, Spark’s data analytics and AI business, Stephen Ponsford, the company’s CTO turned CEO, also recognises that the company needs to keep its people engaged and valued. He said a big part of that was connecting their people with the impact they bring to organisations like the Department of Conservation. Data scientists from Qrious worked with DoC on a ground-breaking machine-learning AI solution to help identify kiwi in the wild. “It’s great when our staff can connect with the value our customers are getting,” Ponsford said. “We’ve really focused on being a purpose- and values-driven organisation. … We look at our purpose around transforming New Zealand, how can we make New Zealand get ahead. … It’s one of those great goals that as an organisation we can all rally around: How can data-driven innovation help support New Zealand not only get back on its feet but thrive in a post-COVID world.” Related content feature TransUnion transforms its business with IT On the heels of its Neustar acquisition, the consumer credit reporting agency seeks to give customers access to its troves of consumer data to fuel next-generation services through solutions platform OneTru. By Paula Rooney Apr 26, 2024 6 mins Financial Services Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence feature The 10 highest-paying industries for IT talent The tech industry isn’t the only hot spot for IT jobs, as there’s a growing demand for IT pros across every industry. These 10 verticals pay the most for IT roles, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White Apr 26, 2024 7 mins Salaries IT Jobs Careers brandpost Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks M&A action is gaining momentum, are your cloud security leaders prepared? Direct visibility is critical in M&A, and cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP) are ideal to provide this capability. By Amol Mathur, SVP & GM of Prisma Cloud, Palo Alto Networks Apr 25, 2024 4 mins Cloud Management news CIOs eager to scale AI despite difficulty demonstrating ROI, survey finds CIOs prioritize integrating AI into their organizations alongside cybersecurity, according to a new survey. By Sandeep Budki Apr 25, 2024 5 mins Artificial Intelligence PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe