What Does Your IT Team Really Want?

“If you could change one thing about working here, what would it be?” 

Have you ever been asked that question? If you’ve worked for a large organization, I bet you’ve seen that question on a formal Employee Satisfaction Survey. In smaller companies, the question may come from a manager who has Googled “Good questions to ask during an annual review.” In both cases, the company wants to learn what makes an employee happy. Happy employees don’t leave a company; dissatisfied and disengaged employees leave.

When an employee leaves, it’s costly. The hard costs of finding and onboarding a replacement are bad enough, but when you factor in the opportunity costs of deferred projects, the lowered morale of having to cover the responsibilities of the departed employee, and the reputation of being a place with high turnover, the costs are even higher.

Often when an employee leaves, she is asked why, either by her manager when she turned in her notice or by an HR Rep during the exit interview. “They offered more money” is a common excuse. So is “it’s more convenient to where I live.” In almost every case, those answers are disingenuous, or incomplete at best. Happy employees aren’t looking for another job nor do they listen when called by a recruiter.

So why do they leave? 

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, once the fundamental physiological and safety needs are met (typically with financial compensation), the higher level needs of social belonging, esteem, and self-actualization become more of an influence on motivation and behavior. Notice that these are not dependent on financial compensation, rather they are concerned with the workplace environment and corporate culture.

So, if your team is fairly or even generously compensated, yet are unhappy, are disengaged, and are leaving the company, the glaring question is: why. Why are they leaving and what can you do about it? (By the way, the only thing worse than an unhappy and disengaged employee who leaves is an unhappy and disengaged employee who stays.)

The answer will vary by organization. however, the following are frequently cited as key desires by IT professionals. 

• “More autonomy in what I’m working on.”
• “More flexibility on when I’m working.”, 
• “A better work/life balance for my life”

Less often explicitly stated, but just as important nonetheless, are:

• “Knowing that I’m making a difference to my team or customers.”
• “Feeling that I’m known, that I’m respected, and that my contributions are valued.”
• “Being able to tell when I’m doing a good job.”

So, what can you do to help your team feel engaged and valued? According to Verne Harnish and his team at Gazelles in their book Scaling Up, managers are responsible for 70% of the variances in employee engagement scores. That’s good news. It means that we, as IT managers and leaders, have the ability to influence our team through our own behaviors to create a better and more engaging environment for them. We are not helpless and impotent, subject to the whims of the marketplace and to the confines of our corporate policies. We can make a difference for our team. 

In the book, Harnish goes on to say that to help their teams stay engaged, managers should:

1. Help people play to their strengths. 
2. Don’t demotivate; “dehassle.”
3. Set clear expectations, and give employees a clear line of sight. 
4. Give recognition, and show appreciation. 
5. Hire fewer people, but pay them more. 

Depending on your company, you may not have a lot of control over number 5, but the first 4 are something you can do. It may not be obvious to you at first. It may not be easy for you, but learning to motivate and engage your team is something that you, as a leader, must learn to do.

IT leaders who come from a highly technical background are often ill-prepared to lead a team of IT professionals. This is particularly true when the new leader is promoted and asked to lead a team of former peers. Leadership is a completely different set of skills than those which made him successful as an individual contributor. However, leadership is a skill that can be learned. With our coaching clients, we find that new leaders can leverage the same tenacity and drive that propelled them to success as an individual contributor to become a great leader of IT professionals.

Don’t know where to start? Have a look at our Recommended Reading list. Still have questions, give us a call or send us an email.