One of the fastest growing industries, Information Technology or IT, should be growing its staffs as fast as technology changes, but according to a recent study, many are falling behind.
Many IT managers fail to plan properly for the future of their IT department. A recent IT executive study, released by TEKsystems, states that 60% of managers only plan for the next 12 months. Only 6 percent said they have a multi-year strategy in place.
Furthermore, workforce planning processes are also lacking. Less than 10% of IT leadership says it has a planning process in place, and most do not plan to create one. IT departments in the transportation, telecommunications and financial services industries are most likely to have staffing programs.
TEKsystems Director Rachel Russell said in order to keep up with the industry and flourish they must be more proactive in their staffing plans.
“IT departments are constantly assembling teams to tackle emerging trends and stay ahead in a changing marketplace,” Russell said. “Proactive workforce planning is an essential and competitive capability for high-performance IT organizations, as it ensures they have the skills required to meet project milestones and handle the ebbs and flows of workloads as projects evolve.”
The TEK study also notes the difficulties organizations have in creating succession planning and retention strategies. Only 15% of IT managers reported their organizations as “very good” or “excellent” at this.
“People make IT happen, so losing talented professionals can stop project momentum in its tracks,” Russell said. “Companies that strategically manage succession planning keep top performers engaged and motivated. Further, employees are able to seamlessly take on roles as other team members move on to different projects or new roles.”
So what can you do to create a proactive staffing environment?
- Have a multi-year workforce plan in place
- Prepare a succession and retention plan
- Consider not only the immediate costs, but the long-term impact of new IT hires. Technology changes rapidly.
TEKsystems surveys over 3,000 IT leaders from various organizations for its quarterly IT Executive Outlook. For assistance in creating a strategic staffing plan, or finding a job in the IT field, get in touch with our experts at Morgan Hunter Corporate Search.