How Much is That Vacant IT Position Really Costing You?

Employee Insights, Employer Insights

vacant IT position costs

Vacancies at organizations occur all the time; however, the way they’re handled can impact how well an organization continues to function. Unfortunately, a vacant IT position can cost you much more than stress and aggravation. An understaffed team can bring down your entire IT department, even affecting the operations of your organization at large. Here are some of the vacant IT position costs – and what you can do to prevent them:

Burnout among existing staff.

With even one position being left unfilled for a long period of time, your existing staff can become burned out and overworked from picking up the slack. An overworked team is one that is less productive, and worse yet, becomes dissatisfied in the workplace. One of the best ways to prevent burnout from vacancies is to utilize temporary IT workers in the interim while you find a permanent IT employee to fill the position. This will keep your staffing at a healthy level where they can continue functioning at optimal capacity, without causing a downward spiral in productivity, quality of services or overall performance.

Reduced performance and retention.

Failing to fill an IT vacancy in a timely manner can result in inefficient use of time and money for your organization in a couple of different ways. First, it will take longer for your team to complete projects, as your employees will need to reallocate their time and perform jobs that exceed the scope of their core responsibilities. Furthermore, the quality of work delivered may be negatively impacted. When IT employees are spread too thin, they’re more likely to “cut corners” and complete their work with haste. This can result in poor quality of service delivered to other vital employees of your organization, gradually affecting job satisfaction and retention levels.

Poor morale.

While it may not seem obvious on the surface, unbalanced staffing levels will lead to disgruntled employees who will begin resenting their jobs. This can quickly cause tension among your IT team to rise, especially if your workers feel you’re taking advantage of them. Once this happens, poor morale can pervade your workplace, potentially harming your organization’s reputation as an employer and causing your best workers to quit. As vacancies happen, it’s best to set realistic expectations for your current team and explain to them you’re seeking a new person to fill the position as quickly as possible.

Being proactive in filling IT vacancies can play a key role in preventing many of the negative circumstances above. Investing in a staffing partnership can be one of the best ways to ensure your organization can function at its best – even when staffing levels change unexpectedly.