Information Technology Work Value Differences

This study investigates reasons behind high employee turnover of IT professionals through the value placed on intrinsic, extrinsic, leisure, and social rewards. It addresses two questions; what are the most preferred work values by IT professionals, and how do they differ from other professions. Data was collected via a survey using subjects from Amazon Mechanical Turk. A sample of 380 respondents was used. Key findings reveal that intrinsic rewards were the most important work values for IT professionals followed by leisure, extrinsic, and social rewards. Furthermore, when compared to the preferences of non-IT professionals, the levels of preferences for intrinsic rewards were statistically significantly higher for IT professionals than all other professions. This study provides valuable insight regarding key motivating factors of IT professionals and offers practical implications for practitioners relating to job characteristics that are most likely to reduce IT turnover and rethink their rewards systems.