One of the toughest things for any company to face is the loss of their best Information Technology (IT) talent to a competitor. Today, IT professionals are vital to many areas of running a business and keeping company information secure, so when someone on the IT team leaves for greener pastures, they take all this industry knowledge with them. It can take weeks and even months to find an IT professional who has the right skills to replace lost IT talent, which further aggravates things.
If your organization is struggling to retain IT talent, there are some steps you can do right now to correct this problem.
#1 – Start demonstrating the value of your IT team to the company
Many companies put their IT folks in the back office, hidden from the rest of the business operations. They do this because they may think this is “just the way things are done” in the business world. This backfires when IT talent gets tired of working long hours, tucked away from their peers, and starts to feel taken for granted. Instead, take the time to bring your IT teams to the forefront in your organization, sharing their successes and make them a real part of your teams. Be willing to regularly recognize their achievements and say “thanks” as often as possible.
#2 – Give your IT employees a rewarding work experience
No one wants to work in a boring job for long. It’s no wonder that IT people often jump ship for more exciting opportunities. Create a fun, technology-driven, and casual work environment for IT talent. Give them challenging projects that force them to think outside the box at times, so they can shine in front of peers.
#3 – Compensate IT talent well for their skills and commitment
It’s expensive to replace even one good IT employee, therefore you want to make sure you are paying them above-average rates for the work they do. Include generous perks and benefits that other companies don’t offer. If you want to keep them around, raise the salaries of your best IT employees on an annual basis and connect their earnings directly to performance metrics.
#4 – Provide ongoing learning for IT workers
The unique IT industry requires that all professionals keep up with new technology on an ongoing basis. This means, employees need to be able to demonstrate their industry and product knowledge through training and certification efforts. Make sure you are paying for your IT teams to learn and maintain their credentials, and they will repay you by sticking around longer.
#5 – Augment IT teams during peak seasons
It’s very possible that your IT teams are getting a little burned out from all the tedious tasks they must complete, especially during the busiest seasons of your organization. Or there may be skills gaps that are hurting the IT team now – something that can be corrected. Instead of allowing these things to continue, it’s critical to bring in some temporary help from IT professionals who work on contract via staffing firms like ours. This can alleviate some of the pressures and skill gaps, and you may identify a few IT people you’d like to bring on permanently to help keep your team together.
By following the above tips, you’ll be set up for success in retaining valuable IT professionals. To find both permanent and temporary IT Professionals who could contribute to your business, visit Synerfac today!
