High IT Employee Turnover? Here’s What to Do.

Employer Insights

retain your top IT talent.

Does it feel as though turnover in your IT department is higher than ever? As it turns out, research shows that increasingly high turnover in the IT industry can be attributed to growing demand and, therefore, higher salaries in the field.

Essentially, as competition for top candidates becomes more competitive and salaries continue to rise, seasoned IT professionals will be quick to seek greener pastures elsewhere and take advantage of more lucrative employment.

As you aim to improve retention of your IT workers, here are some of the common causes of high IT employee turnover – and what you can do about it:

Invest in your employees.

You can’t expect your employees to invest in your organization if you don’t make an investment in them first. There are many ways to demonstrate an investment in your employees that go beyond pay. For example, offering your IT workers ample training opportunities will allow them to grow their skills so they can gain more confidence on the job and advance to higher positions. If you’re concerned about your employees taking their skills elsewhere, communicate to them appreciate them, that you’re committed to their growth within your company, and you want them to be contributing members of your team now and into the future. The key is to make sure your workers understand that you’re invested in their success and remain committed to helping them excel in their careers.

Set reasonable expectations.

Failure to communicate to your IT workers what’s expected of them in terms of their performance and productivity is a surefire way to lose your best talent. Top-notch IT professionals want a clear sense of what they need to accomplish on the job so they can prioritize their time and efforts accordingly. Overwhelming your workers with unrealistic expectations or neglecting to communicate with them at all will result in confusion, resentment and burnout among your IT team.

Provide constructive feedback.

Unfortunately, many organizations offer feedback only during monthly or yearly performance reviews. However, most employees – especially millennials – want feedback regularly about their performance. While you don’t need to constantly offer accolades or commentary, you should make a point to let employees know how they’re doing, and most importantly, how they can improve. Employees who are given the knowledge and tools to work on their weaknesses and make meaningful changes to their performance will ultimately feel empowered and experience greater happiness at work.

While there’s no perfect retention strategy, taking the steps above can have a significant impact on how well you engage and retain your employees for the long term. When executed properly, these retention efforts will reap numerous benefits for your organization for years to come.