Dear Bob ... I'm having trouble recruiting. My organization is no more budget-constrained than most, but the folks who run it view IT as a tactical resource (really, as a necessary evil) so they don't understand why it's important to pay what other companies spend for IT talent. On the other hand, this isn't a sweatshop. Maybe it's because part of our workforce is unionized, but the expectation is that you show Dear Bob …I’m having trouble recruiting.My organization is no more budget-constrained than most, but the folks who run it view IT as a tactical resource (really, as a necessary evil) so they don’t understand why it’s important to pay what other companies spend for IT talent. On the other hand, this isn’t a sweatshop. Maybe it’s because part of our workforce is unionized, but the expectation is that you show up on time, put in an honest day’s work, and leave on schedule. Here, a 45 hour work week would be considered going the extra mile.Given that we’re on the low end of the scale, how can I get high-quality IT professionals to want to work here?– Recruiter Dear Recruiter …Oh, I love this kind of question, because I don’t have to work very hard. Just tell them what you told me: “This isn’t a sweatshop. Maybe it’s because part of our workforce is unionized, but the expectation is that you show up on time, put in an honest day’s work, and leave on schedule. Here, a 45 hour work week would be considered going the extra mile.”There are lots of very experienced IT professionals who would find this to be a refreshing change. The one issue you have to be careful about will happen a year or two later: In the kind of environment you describe it’s easy for the workforce to become complacent. The combination of relatively low pay and relatively low pressure will make it easy for the staff to conclude that less effort is part of the implied contract as well, so instead of constantly pushing hard they’ll be more likely to do just enough to get by.– Bob Technology Industry