For organizations that need IT assistance and are having trouble finding it, the key to maintaining support for their technology efforts is creativity.
As concerns about the pandemic ease, companies want to launch technology initiatives that they have been putting off for the past two years. However, this effort coincides with another current phenomenon, the Great Renunciation. American workers are leaving their jobs in record numbers, and that includes technology professionals. This trend makes it much more difficult to pursue new projects.
The tech talent shortage is not new. The need for IT specialists has been greater than their availability in recent years. After all, almost every company needs technical support at some level. But the greater need for rushed IT tasks, such as the creation of remote work environments during the pandemic, as well as factors such as the number of workers retiring and technology evolving faster than the knowledge of technology talent, have accelerated this situation.
For organizations that need IT assistance and are having trouble finding it, the key to maintaining support for their technology efforts is creativity. In the following sections, we specifically explain how creativity can be used to upgrade retention efforts, upskill employees, hire freelancers, expand search, improve hiring approaches, and pay more.
Updating Retention Efforts
While you may have the challenge of finding new IT employees, don't make the situation worse by losing the ones you already have. Instead, take steps to retain current talent. Here are some ideas to get started:
- Make leadership a priority. Many employees leave their managers, not their companies, so it's worth making sure your managers are doing everything right. Evaluate each manager and provide resources for those who need additional training.
- Recognize good work. It may seem so obvious that it goes without saying, but many employees simply want their work to be recognized. Incorporate regular feedback into employee relations, not just during annual reviews.
- Provide a career plan. Many employees are not just looking for a job, but also a career. The more you can do to help them advance, the more loyal they will be.
- Be a good listener. The following video explains how.
Upskilling employees
If you're looking for new tech support, the answer may be as close as your current employees. Some IT professionals may have basic knowledge and want to learn more to become better assets to their organization. Since they already know the inner workings of your company's IT environment, they are in the perfect position to take their learning to the next level.
Even those outside the IT team must be considered. For example, you might have an entry-level software engineer in another department, such as administration, marketing, R&D, or HR. You don't know what workers' aspirations are until you ask them, so it's worth sending a company-wide message promoting an in-house training program.
Hiring Freelancers
Acquiring the skills of IT professionals does not necessarily mean hiring them. The vast gig economy can work in your favor if you're willing to change the way you think about what teams look like. According to Forbes some companies are even “looking far from home for tech talent, turning to the global freelance economy or looking for full-time workers abroad.”
Expanding the search
The rise of remote work capabilities has allowed companies to expand the parameters of their search for new talent. They are no longer limited to hiring people who are within driving distance. A productive workforce can be made up entirely of people from around the world who have never met in person.
So geography is one consideration, but there are many others. For example, many IT professionals are self-taught and have become proficient in their field long before obtaining any degree or certification. So it's at least worth considering whether degrees for your IT team members are truly mandatory or just nice.
Other candidates to consider include those with long absences from the workforce – such as parents taking time off to raise children – those from schools you may not have recruited from in the past, and neurodiverse workers.
Improving the hiring approach
No company's hiring process is perfect, and improving yours can help you acquire some of the tech talent you need. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Reduce hiring time. A lengthy hiring process with multiple interviews puts you at risk of losing quality candidates, who may be hired by another company with a shorter process. Find ways to reduce the time it takes to evaluate potential hires.
- Take advantage of technology. Ironically, hiring IT professionals doesn't always make the best use of technology. Remote recruiting and testing, AI-based recruiting tools, and technology-based interview processes should be considered.
- Use the “screen in” method. Instead of looking to exclude candidates, switch to a “showcase” approach in which you assume the candidate has something to offer your company, whether or not it's exactly what you had in mind when you started the hiring process.
Paying more
In some cases, the above strategies may be all you need, but ultimately, market forces are at play. When faced with choosing comparable employers, technology professionals will choose the one that offers the best compensation package. Your offer should be based on factors such as the value each new IT team member will bring to your company and the potential losses you're likely to face without them.
Remember, it's not just about money. IT professionals, like almost any other type of worker, need good health insurance, the option to work remotely, plenty of vacation time, and other perks.
Act now to strengthen the health of your company
Some of these recommendations take time, so it's best to get started right away to ensure your efforts pay off. While the cost of instituting new hiring, training and retention programs may seem high, consider that the cost of not doing so may be even higher. A decrease in the quality of your company's products or services, the resulting loss of revenue and the challenges that arise with an overworked team are risks you run if you delay on this critical issue.
