Strategies to Engage IT Employees

There are two sides to your human resources strategy – recruitment and retention. A lot of focus gets placed on the recruitment side, but retention is just as important, and just as tricky. A major part of your retention effort has to be spent on keeping your IT employees engaged, because if this notoriously restless bunch doesn’t feel interested and invested in their work, it’s only a matter of time before productivity falls and turnover climbs. Here are five areas to focus on:

Expectations

It’s not uncommon for IT employees to work 70-80 hour weeks, to be expected to come in on nights and weekends, and to be on call when they do have free time. Common sense tells us that this would be miserable and lead anyone to lose focus and drive fast. Adding more staff might seem like an expensive solution, but it’s worth it if it improves the performance of the entire team.

Education

IT professionals understand better than anyone how fast the industry changes and how quickly an in-demand skill set can become irrelevant. That’s why they consistently cite education and training opportunities as one of the most appealing perks. Incentivizing this kind of professional development keeps team members engaged while helping you avoid skills gaps down the road.

Purchasing Programs

Companies can do a lot to reduce the cost of personal IT products for their employees, either through a subsidy, or by extending benefits and discounts that are only available to corporate clients. This small but significant perk helps IT pros save on the things they would already be buying (hardware and software) while making it easy for them to pursue personal projects. Expect them to bring at least some of that passion back into the office.

Compensation/Perks

Paying people more for the work that they do is a fundamental motivator. But there are lots of other perks that appeal just as much as a higher salary. Consider offering more flexible scheduling, giving out more vacation days, offering shares in company stock, or even a better-sounding job title. When people feel like their compensation reflects their contribution they will continue to give 100 percent.

Recognition

Sometimes, the most effective way to engage an employee is simply to recognize and acknowledge the work that they do. No matter how much money a person makes, if they feel like they are toiling in obscurity, they are bound to lose interest in their job. Whether privately or publicly, in person or by some other format, take the time to show each person on the team how much you appreciate them.

Effectively managing an IT team is always difficult. Eliminate some of the major challenges by working with INSPYR Solutions.