IT work was once a pretty dry occupation. Swap out a drive or card here, set up a user there; it was all pretty mundane stuff when the server farm was local and no one dreamed that you could browse the Web from a cellular phone. With all of the advances in technology, however, IT jobs are suddenly thrust into the spotlight again, and old methodologies and roles rethought.
If a business owner doesn’t update their view of modern IT professionals and the jobs they should be performing, friction might exist between IT departments and management. Here are eight IT practices that not only hurt morale, but might even prove damaging to your business.
1. Using task orientation rather than goal orientation
Your IT staff is probably smarter than you, at least when it comes to technology. If you treat them just as troubleshooters or simple coders of menial tasks, they won’t disappoint. However, if you involve them in business decisions and give them a set of critical objectives rather than a few levers to pull, your IT staff will frequently come up with surprising and cost-saving ways to accomplish company goals with far fewer resources.
2. Forbidding remote work
The traditional business model says that direct supervision is a necessary part of effective team management. However, today’s technology workers are very used to independent task completion from their virtual work space. If you forbid remote work, you increase your company’s overhead while restricting your IT staff from access to their most familiar and effective tools.
3. Hiring based only on experience
For many jobs, experience is the key to success. However, in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable IT landscape, your tech staff need to have adaptability, a willingness to experiment, and even an ability to fail. Modern IT environments require intelligent failure, followed by swift and equally intelligent recovery far more than they require an overly cautious, overly “perfect” approach to digital spaces.
4. Forbidding BYOD
Preventing your employees from bringing their own devices, including both mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) and computer systems (netbooks, laptops, and even desktops) slows down your employees. It’s true that your company gains additional control over security and privacy, but this advantage must be weighed against both employee frustration and a substantial financial investment.
5. Assuming group or individual workflows
Some of your IT staff members work best on their own. Others are “social creatives” who thrive in a team environment. Different approaches to the social elements of work are an inherent part of IT projects, but too many businesses proceed by either assuming that their IT staff are lone wolves or group enthusiasts. Learn who your employees are and build the teams thereafter. Never assume that your talent will conform to arbitrary and uninformed expectations.
6. Creating an IT interface designed for higher-ups
Your C-level employees need access to business intelligence data. However, if you build your IT interface with higher-level employees in mind, you will often short-circuit the work of your IT staff. Allow your technology staff to inform and guide the development of the IT system. While the objectives of upper-level employees must be acknowledged and satisfied, disregarding the needs of your IT group is like building a house without a foundation.
7. Ignoring adoption
In every IT project, the most frequently ignored stage is adoption. How will your company apply the new solution once it’s developed? How will you ensure that employees understand and take advantage of the new resources provided? How will training be provided? When will old systems be phased out? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, be sure you give them each considerable thought well before project deployment.
8. Not updating
Your IT staff are deeply aware of the security, privacy, and efficiency advantages offered by making simple updates in your software. This is especially true of any cloud-based software you have (e.g., a content management system, SharePoint, or an online document management interface). Be sure you update regularly; if you don’t, your IT staff will be slowed down and they will think less of you due to your inattentive approach to the company systems.
IT staff can be a finicky bunch, but that trait stems from an attention to detail and a fine awareness of the potential within each piece of hardware or software. By paying attention to your staff and providing timely solutions designed to take advantage of their talents, you can bolster both employee satisfaction at the same time you’re improving your company’s overall effectiveness.
This is a guest post by John Dayton. John is an IT professional specializing in forensic engineering. When he’s not working, can be found teaching computer science courses at the local community center.
