Is your IT team looking a bit down in the dumps? Is productivity not quite where you want it to be? IT people can be a bit tough to motivate and keep happy, but they are an essential part of your team!
Knowing how to support them in the best way possible is essential to everything going smoothly.
Invest in the necessary tools.
If your IT team is working with outdated software and equipment, you’re going to hamper their productivity and morale. While investing in upgrades and the latest kit isn’t cheap, it will have a positive impact on the team, and the business overall. By introducing automated monitoring and multitasking software, you can help them maximize their time and do away with the smaller tasks. This results in a happier, less stressed, and more effective team that is less likely to make mistakes.
For example, why would you force a team member to supervise all logs and syslog messages, when you could invest in a log management tool? These programs streamline and completely centralize all log management, and provide multiple other functions that make your team’s life easier, without making their job obsolete!
Encourage professional and personal development.
If you have the mindset that you don’t want to invest in training if your employees might quit and work elsewhere, then you are doomed to begin with. While it’s always a risk, it’s not a reason not to invest in their personal and professional development. By providing your IT team with training, professional workshops, and even opportunities to obtain more qualifications, you empower them. But more than that, they feel valued by you as an employer and will be motivated to work harder.
The IT sector is incredibly fast-paced and your team will have to work hard to keep up with the latest developments. By helping them do this, not only do you create a great working environment, but you are investing in the happiness and productivity of your IT department.
Monitor KPIs.
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a method of analysing the output and performance of a department. Within your IT department, the failure to meet KPIs can mean several things. It could mean you’ve set them too high and are subsequently stressing out your team. Or it could mean that your employees are lacking motivation, the tools they need to succeed, or knowledge.
Not meeting KPIs doesn’t mean you have to come down hard on them, rather it means it’s time to stop and then communicate with your team. Find out the issue, work with them to fix it and then create new targets. Of course, you want to ensure their work is challenging and meets certain expectations, but work with them to achieve this, not against them.
If you keep your IT team happy, it will have a direct impact on the rest of the company. They are also more likely to respond to your calls for help when the printer packs up as well!
