“Technology is best when it brings people together.”
-Matt Mullenweg
There’s no doubt that 2020 put forth new challenges we could not have predicted. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, a greater number of people began working from home and organizations have been prompted to take a different course of action. This has especially been the case when developing company continuity plans and general business strategies for success in 2021 and beyond. For developing IT organizations, working digitally has been an advantage, but this still has come with its own challenges. Often times, IT management teams are inclined to in-office work vs remote.
Build a culture where trust and collaboration create engagement that drive results
When building or maintaining a solid IT organization, having a strong company culture that emphasizes collaboration is going to provide a sustainable advantage. It is highly recommended by organizational engineers, such as TalentoHCM for employers to develop and manage the change around policies & protocols. Not only does this help to ensure engagement, but it also provides greater training opportunities to embed these practices into hiring & how managers retain employees. Strong IT professionals with business acumen also goes a long way to bridging IT and company priorities.
Ensure your employees feel their management cares about their development
Seeking out talent that has strong business acumen, to tie technology with business’s goals, can improve productivity and reduce costs in the long run. To represent strong management, meaningful employee reviews that encourage a culture of positive growth & development is key. This specific organizational norm, combined with diverse teams that bring various skills & points of view to the projects, will set up IT organizations for success, enabling them to be ready for any challenges they may face. Teams that are united deliver greater value and are generally more satisfied with their work.
Once you have a strong team in place, and even when you are looking to hire more, continuous training and collaboration should be encouraged. Upskilling and reskilling employees to add value to their careers and the company will keep them developing in the business instead of potentially looking elsewhere. Having a strong sense of teamwork with a diverse set of skills will set in this bond. Employees want to know there is room to grow skills and opportunities to develop in their careers. It’s not always about growing a title but rather knowledge.
Understand that work from home can mean you are never off
Trends in 2021 for compensation and benefits reflect a larger emphasis on work-life balance. Workers are holding employers more accountable when considering the job. The dip in commute time usually results in more hours put into the work. Does your company see this? Flexibility to work from home along with flexible working hours, are a key element of the new era of work that many organization miss. Many times you are getting more from your employees than you were before and not even realizing it. Jorge Monterrosa, Senior Director of Software Engineering at Spirit Airlines notes that a key factor to his team delivering a major initiative in record time was due in part to the amount of work a remote team could deliver.
So what do employees really care about at the end of the day?
Mutual respect, clarity in purpose, acknowledgement of the time put in to really perform work tasks. Being compensated fairly. Opportunities to learn and grow. Empathy from management. Simple, right?
Ensure policies are crafted with 2021 in mind
Employers also need to keep in mind the federal policy changes with the new administration in office. These may include more paid time off, changes in healthcare compliance, and different taxation plans. It would also be a smart plan to include mental health services in healthcare packages as both employers and employees have been navigating uncharted territory. Don’t forget those who care for children, parents or other friends/relatives that require support. Being asked to continue along with your work while fending off personal life isn’t always received positively.
Employees have more job options than ever before
Remember that the job economy in today’s digital era has expanded the geographic reach of candidates. What does this mean? More options for candidates and employers. The local market is no longer a hiring managers oyster like before. Companies who embrace this can really benefit from a world of skills, talent and diverse perspectives. We’ve all been told how important emotional intelligence is, are you demonstrating this to your employees? Trends show that employees most often disengage due to their manager and career development.
HR should accelerate performance through managing change and driv recruiting that builds organizational capability
Partnering with your human resources & recruiting teams that understand your business and todays IT landscape, and can ultimately find the right people is a great asset to get started. There is no one size fits all plan when scaling out your business. In need of a recruiting function that builds organizational capabilities and helps human resources execute on your plans? TalentoHCM blends its talent & organizational solutions to help technology teams deliver results.
