How to Keep your Best IT Talent

An IT department is all about producing or maintaining technology that enables customers or clients to do their job easier, better, faster, cost-effectively, or a combination of all four.

For all the help that IT brings to people, this department also needs some help. HTML doesn’t code itself, and cybersecurity doesn’t instantly materialize. At every step of the way, there are people behind the products and services, providing smooth transactions and peace of mind, and they deserve some appreciation.

That is why, especially in the technology sector, the IT recruiting process is so important. The people behind the product really make the difference.

Going to an IT recruiting company to find the people you need can be a great decision, but how do you keep valuable staff, rather than lose them in “defections” to other companies?

Everyone is on the lookout for experienced IT staff who can produce results, but is offering more money the only way to get—or keep—the best IT talent? The answer is a definitive “no.” There are other ways to retain your top IT talent, and here are some.

Promote & Advance

One of the fastest ways to ensure a high turnover rate for employees is to promote the perception that whatever job and salary you are hired for will stay the same forever. In order to retain the best IT talent, you must have a clear and accessible program for promotion and advancement.

When people see that there is room for growth and the salary and position they have now is likely to be improved through continued productivity, they will be more invested in staying. After all, why should anyone remain loyal if the odds are they can improve their career by leaving you, instead of staying?

Listen to Your Staff

It’s a basic human courtesy, and at the same time, it is very easy to forget to truly listen. People do not like to be ignored. If you create a corporate culture where people feel like they aren’t being heard or that when they make suggestions, voice concerns, or want to discuss issues, they essentially feel like they’re talking to a brick wall, your employees will leave.

When an employee knows that he or she is actively listened to, it goes a long way toward securing loyalty. Staff who are ignored will routinely begin to feel unvalued and even dehumanized.

Who wants to stay in a company where no one’s voice is heard? When you listen to your staff, they will continue to want to communicate with you, and that means they will want to stay.

Communicate Company Direction

In the same way that no one likes to be ignored, no one likes uncertainty either. Keeping the lines of communication open, and updating staff on what they are expected to be doing, how they are doing within the company, and the direction of the company will keep uncertainty at bay.

Once unknowns start creeping, people talk and speculate, which can breed suspicion, anxiety, and ultimately resignations. When there are challenges the company is facing, don’t try to hide them. When there are major decisions to be made, inform the staff, don’t just tell them after the fact or execute the decision, never bothering to give an update on the changes.

Let Your Staff Have a Life

Don’t assume that offering a sufficiently high salary gives you total employee access. In many cases, even if your IT recruiting firm sends you top talent, you may lose that talent after a year or less—even with a competitive salary—if they are working 100 hours every week, in a permanent state of crunch, with no opportunity to have a life outside of work.

Employees who are taken care of become employees who will stay. When you provide essential benefits, such as curbing overtime whenever possible, allowing for paid leave during periods like pregnancy, and even flexible working conditions, you’re building loyalty. Having the ability to work out arrangements, such as working a few days of the week remotely when feasible, will go a long way towards letting your staff know they are valued as people, not just assets.

Find Them & Keep Them

If you’re ready to find the people who can make a difference to your company, we’ve got the IT recruiting skills to help you. Reach out to Poly Tech Talent and get the ultimate competitive advantage in IT hiring on your side.

Visit our Ultimate Guide to Hiring Executive Talent in Technology for more helpful articles like this one.