Midlevel IT: Accountability pays off

Reversing last year’s trend of less reward for more work, midlevel managers this year found their added responsibility accompanied by more pay. Moreover, they’re drawing notice on par with those higher up the IT chain of command, as opposed to last year, when midlevel managers were 47 percent less likely than senior IT managers to have received a raise commensurate with an increased workload.

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“I moved from a team of architects on a large financial transformation project to the lead architect on a midsize project, which resulted in more responsibility and accountability,” says Joe Elliott, consulting IT architect at a large financial services company. The transition, which translated to a bigger raise this year for Elliott, was not uncommon among midlevel managers this year, as new market opportunities had many companies shifting resources in order to capitalize.

And capitalize many midlevel managers did. Earning 5.2 percent more per week, up from 3.5 percent more in 2006, IT managers also received increased pay recognition in the form of personal performance bonuses. Midlevel managers were 31 percent less likely than senior IT managers to have received a bonus last year based on individual incentives, but they closed that personal performance gap this year to the tune of a 15.6 percent growth in overall bonus pay, up from no growth at all a year ago. For many midlevel managers, getting noticed is more likely to result in a well-deserved reward.

For others, however, senior-level attention begets added anxiety. And although the combined compensation growth of 6.0 percent (up from 3.3 percent last year) is welcome, middle managers are 60 percent more likely to believe making too much money is a cause for job-security concerns. Whatever the reason, expect movement in the middle in the coming year, as only 23 percent of midlevel managers are content to stay put, a dramatic shift from 41 percent in 2006.

Staff IT: Work more, earn more

IT staff compensation grew 9.2 percent this year, nearly triple the 3.7 percent growth of a year ago. But whereas senior and midlevel IT managers were 29 percent more likely to have received a merit-based boost and 47 percent more likely to have benefited from promotion, for IT staff, new skills and responsibilities proved the key to taking home more pay.

Of course, after years of layoffs, offshoring, and workforce attrition due to improved opportunities elsewhere, what choice is there really for those who remain?

“My salary has increased mainly due to other IT staff leaving and the company gaining new contracts,” says Paul Richter, an application developer at a software company.