Exploring gender and job embeddedness in information technology professionals

Abstract

Despite the current difficulties in the economy, the demand for information technology (IT) workers is expected to grow substantially in the next several years. The need for talented IT workers is exacerbated by the looming retirement of many IT professionals. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to find ways to retain their valuable and skilled IT employees. One construct that has been introduced to assess reasons employees choose to stay in their current position is job embeddedness. This paper explores the effect of gender on the three dimensions of job embeddedness: an employee's fit with the organization, the potential sacrifice they would make if they left their job, and links or connections they have to others in their organization. This research-in-progress paper hypothesizes that there are differences between males and females in in each of the embeddedness dimensions.