7 Tips For Keeping IT Employees Upbeat

7 Tips for Keeping IT Employees Upbeat
Staff morale is critical to ensuring that productivity and retention levels remain high. Here are
seven tips for maintaining an upbeat work environment and sustaining employee morale.
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By Dave Willmer
MON, JUNE 15, 2009 — Computerworld — In these tough economic times, even workers at stable
organizations might be finding it hard to stay motivated. This can make it difficult for managers to
maintain a positive, productive work environment.
Slideshow: Where the IT Jobs Are: 10 American Cities

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Strong staff morale is critical to ensuring that productivity and retention levels remain high.
The organizations on Computerworld's Best Places to Work in IT list come from diverse
industries and vary in size and geographic reach, but they all share a common feature: They're
focused on maintaining an upbeat work environment and sustaining employee morale.
Here are seven effective ways to keep your own employees motivated and ensure that your
organization remains a positive place to work.
[ See also, There No Quick-Fix for Bad Morale. ]
1. Don't sugarcoat the truth. Open communication is better than silence and secrecy. Discuss
the organization's current situation and future viability with your staff. To the extent
appropriate, share plans for riding out the recession. Invite workers to brainstorm about how
lessons learned during past downturns could be applied now.
2. Listen to your staff. Sharing news with your workers is important, but so is listening to
them. By giving them a chance to voice their concerns and ask questions, you'll be able to
accurately gauge the overall attitude in the workplace. Because some employees may be
reluctant to speak up, you'll need to tune in to subtle cues as well. Stroll through your
workplace -- do you hear laughter, or are people working in grim silence? Do employees seem
enthusiastic or muted? Their behavior will provide important clues about the prevailing mood.
3. Assign work strategically. Re-evaluate each staff member's responsibilities and do some
fine-tuning so the team can work more efficiently. Make this a collaborative process -- ask your
staff how best to distribute the workload. There may be duties or projects they would like to
tackle, and giving them manageable new challenges can be motivating.
4. Protect staff from overload. Be realistic about your employees' limits. If you sense that your
employees are overwhelmed, take action before they reach a state of burnout. Determine
which projects are urgent and which can be put on hold or redistributed. Or consider bringing
in freelancers to work on projects on an as-needed basis to provide additional support and
relieve pressure.
5. Reward employees and show appreciation. Rewarding employees is less about offering
material things than about showing respect and appreciation. Small gestures, such as saying
thank you, asking their opinions on ideas and complimenting their efforts, can help show that
you are grateful for their hard work and loyalty.
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6. Talk about higher purpose. How do your organization's products or services make your customers'
lives safer, happier, healthier or easier? Is your organization involved in philanthropy or community
service initiatives? Remind your employees that they are making meaningful contributions not only to
the organization, but also to the community.
7. Focus on the future. Although you might not be able to make binding commitments or promises,
now is a good time to talk with your employees about their career paths. Speak to them about how to
make their jobs more satisfying, assist them in reaching their professional goals or provide
opportunities for advancement.
By taking steps to boost morale and foster a positive culture, you'll see benefits beyond higher levels
of employee motivation. A positive work environment is one of the most effective and powerful
retention and recruitment tools you can have. When employees enjoy their work, they're more likely to
stay, and the most talented job candidates will naturally be drawn to an organization with a reputation
for having a great corporate culture.
Willmer is executive director of Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professionals for initiatives
ranging from e-business development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and
technical support.
Four Tips for Effective Training
Training suffers in lean times, but it remains a critical element of IT success.
When IT departments must make budget cuts, employee training and education is one area
that often takes a direct hit. While training cutbacks may be intended to control costs, they
can undermine an IT organization’s ability to remain on top of new developments—and,
ultimately, help the firm maintain its competitive edge. On the retention front, training
opportunities are an effective way to help staff members feel valued.
Here are some tips for maintaining effective developmental efforts when budgets are tight:
1 E-learning is a natural. The growing popularity and availability of e-learning make it an

obvious starting point for training IT professionals given their comfort level with technology.
Staff members can work at their own pace, making it more convenient for them.
2 Sometimes classes are better. Despite the convenience of e-learning, sometimes there is
no substitute for face-to-face interaction with instructors. Keep in mind that you may not
need to hire teachers from outside the organization to lead training sessions; managers within
the firm, IT consultants working on site or recently retired employees might be ideal
candidates to step in.
3 Look internally. Mentoring is another convenient—and rewarding—way to enhance

knowledge transfer among your staff and cultivate future leaders for the department. These
programs can be used to supplement online or classroom instruction, or as the sole method of
imparting knowledge on a topic.
4 Make it easy. If workers are expected to complete courses on personal time, they may skip
training opportunities entirely. Be willing to make scheduling accommodations or adjust
workloads when necessary. Also, when budgets become more flexible, consider providing
tuition reimbursement to your staff. In the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth
Expectations (EDGE) Report from Robert Half International and CareerBuilder, 61 percent
of employees surveyed said tuition reimbursement or subsidized training was the perk they
most expected their employers to provide or enhance once the economy improves.
Apparently, many IT executives are getting the message that training activities not only
enhance the knowledge base of their departments but also offer their best employees a
compelling reason to stay put. When we asked CIOs to identify the most effective methods to
improve IT staff retention, 21 percent cited training or professional development.

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7 Tips for Keeping IT Employees Upbeat

Slideshow: Where the IT Jobs Are: 10 American Cities

[ See also, There No Quick-Fix for Bad Morale. ]

Training suffers in lean times, but it remains a critical element of IT success.

1 E-learning is a natural. The growing popularity and availability of e-learning make it an

3 Look internally. Mentoring is another convenient—and rewarding—way to enhance

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