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8/13/2003
There may be early-edge baby boomers on your staff who are closer to retirement than you think, and they could be moved along that path with a carrot, rather than a stick. It can be very hard to balance the institutional memory and mature decision making of an expensive long-time staffer against applying his or her salary to 2-3 starting level positions, but the trade might save you money and gain more bodies. And you may find that the older staffer would enjoy semi-retirement but still work on a contract basis as needed. Early retirement works better for your IT staff, of course, if there is an institution-wide incentive plan. Maybe you should talk to HR soon?Don't even think about moving one of your top employees who is happy where he or she is, or mention retirement to a senior staffer who you couldn't live without. As a matter of fact, now would be a very good time to think about your staff and who you could or could not live without. There may be some insights available from that train of thought. And it might be worth a few dollars for bonuses, or gifts, or special training to ensure that important sacred cows are kept contented.
Other ways to find dollar savings that relate to staffing include such things as simplifying systems and procedures, making better use of student employees, and taking an intelligent look at ways to defer maintenance or system upgrades. (Even an upgrade, which can cost money, might significantly reduce operating costs, though, so look at all sides of every possibility.)
We'll take a close look at some other sacred cows you should be hunting down in next week's issue.
About the author: Terry Calhoun is Director of Communications and Publications for the Society
for College and University Planning (SCUP). You can contact him through CT's IT Trends forum by clicking here. View more articles by Terry Calhoun.
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