3 Essential Steps to Maintaining a Strong IT Team in Times of Labor Shortage

Leaders must take action to ensure effective and sustainable teams. The key is to attract, retain and develop talent while using the right IT infrastructure.

The labor shortage affecting many sectors of the French economy is the source of the recent reform of the unemployment insurance with an unemployment rate of more than 7% and vacancies still needing to be filled. too many… The sectors with the most vacancies are in particular the private sector of health, social action, hotels and restaurants or even the agri-food industry, with a general more marked trend for SME. A striking example, as it affects the field of passenger safety in commercial flights, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) estimates that it is possible to fly planes with one pilot at the controls 2027 to address the deficiencies in pilot (and reduce costs. ).

On the SME side, employers in the Gironde in particular offer training and substantial salary increases. Many companies refuse customers (mechanics, building companies, heating engineers, etc.) due to lack of weapons. Other companies specializing in personal assistance focus on quality of work life by offering newcomers à la carte planning and salary increases of up to 10%. According to a survey by the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises* (CPME), 53% of SMEs in France are looking to hire and cannot recruit, due to a lack of candidates! While big names in Tech have been making headlines lately with thousands of layoffs (Google, Twitter, Amazon, HP, Meta, etc.), IT jobs, especially at SMEs and ETIs, is suffering. also a labor shortage. As such, business leaders need to consider whether IT is the next sector to succumb to a costly labor shortage.

Since the transition to a remote and hybrid workforce, IT professionals are feeling the pressure more than ever. According to recent data, 76% of IT decision makers in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) say that the workload of IT professionals has increased due to the adoption of flexible work models , with 43% of them acknowledging that Computer tasks have become more difficult, mainly due to poor software and tools. Given the critical importance of IT teams for SMEs in particular, managers must act to ensure effective and sustainable teams. The key is to attract, retain and develop talent with the right IT infrastructure to set them up for success.

To attract

The interview process is a two-way street. It is an opportunity for an employer to get to know a candidate as much as for the candidate to test the employer. When leaders are looking for candidates to fill gaps in their IT team, they need to demonstrate that their IT infrastructure is solid and will provide all IT team members with the support and tools they need. to do their job properly.

It’s also important to recognize that IT workers are more than technical problem solvers, they are people in their own right. Without an inclusive, people-centered culture and corporate policies that give all employees some autonomy, it’s hard to attract top talent. With a shortage of qualified candidates, it’s never been more difficult to attract IT professionals, making the range of available benefits and company culture paramount. Leaders need to understand what is important to IT and respond positively to it or risk being sidelined.

keep

Having attracted top talent, the next challenge for leaders is to retain them – especially in these uncertain times. The secret: invest in technologies that improve their work, reduce tedious tasks and free up time for innovation. A recent survey by GoTo revealed that more than one in two French people have seen their work affected by IT issues, with 3 in 4 French entrepreneurs considering it “important” to have access to help in IT to function properly. To better support and empower employees, technology must be a priority and an important investment for SMEs.

Automation software and artificial intelligence give overworked IT teams the break they need to free themselves from monotonous maintenance tasks or tasks that add little or no business value. Automated scripts, for example, can speed up software and patch installations, perform repetitive functions such as batch file distribution, and perform complex custom workflows and operating system update. Entrusting these tasks to IT automation software can further boost the reliability of your IT infrastructure. When implemented correctly, automation software rarely goes wrong, never gets tired or bored, and monitors operations 24/7.

Automation, however, is still scary for many small businesses. For small businesses that pride themselves on their human relationships — with customers as well as between employees — decision makers may be hesitant to automate processes. But today, highly skilled IT professionals are more in demand than ever – and their time is therefore more valuable than anything else. By delegating simple tasks to automation, staff will be given the freedom to perform value-added tasks and human interactions that automation can never replicate. By investing in the right technologies to support IT, companies can streamline workflows, integrate technology stacks, and improve ROI to keep technical teams happy and productive.

Development skills

Continuous training of IT employees allows them to understand that management is preparing for the future of their organization and that the business will survive for a long time. Technology moves at lightning speed, so it’s critical that leaders create a culture of innovation and expose and train IT teams to the latest tools. Leaders should also consider investing in external training for IT teams and advanced certifications to demonstrate their commitment to their professional development.

Ongoing training provides dual benefits to organizations, as a skilled IT team with a wide range of expertise can better handle not only day-to-day troubleshooting sessions, but also also on major network issues. For example, cybercriminals develop new schemes almost as quickly as new technologies emerge to defend against them. A dedicated, knowledgeable, and fully staffed IT team is needed to defend businesses against threats and ensure recovery in the event of a network outage. A seasoned IT team can stay ahead of these incidents, mitigating risk and protecting tools to prevent attacks before they happen.

The right technology is the key to productive teams

For SMBs and IT teams to stay resilient in the face of labor shortages and economic downturns, they must have the best technology to complete daily tasks and anticipate future challenges. Given the high cost and effort involved in recruiting new talent, it’s incumbent upon leaders to invest in tools that will support their IT team and allow it to grow.

* study announced by France Inter on November 22, 2022