3 Strategies to Motivate Your IT Team to Reach Their Productivity Potential
63% of IT Employees Are NOT Engaged
IT managers agree a motivated workforce is critical in how well a team performs within their departments. However, according to a 2014 Gallup survey, a very small number of companies currently have an employee population that feels good about their jobs and are willing to go that extra mile to deliver stellar results for their employers. The survey showed that 63% of workers are not engaged in their work, and another 24% are completely disengaged, pulling down the morale and productivity of the entire department. This lost productivity has a real cost to corporations, estimated to be between $450-$550 billion dollars per year. Also, a disengaged employee is much more likely to seek out another position elsewhere, costing you even more to re-fill that position.
What can be done to help motivate your employees to reach their productivity potential, while also doing everything possible to help your direct reports feel good about their contributions? Below are a few simple suggestions to help you turn that disengaged employee into a motivated contributor:
1. Pay attention to the individual.
While teamwork is an important element of company success, helping to build that “team” mentality, nothing beats a manager giving individual attention when it comes to individual motivation. Give direct praise when an employee exceeds their individual goals, or when they produce exceptional work. Doing so reinforces positive behavior for your entire team.
Give those underperforming employees individual coaching to help them work through challenges and areas in need of improvement. This type of individual attention demonstrates your willingness to take extra steps to make them feel comfortable. It can also help to develop a strategy to measure employee engagement to keep in tune with individuals, and the entire workforce as well.
2. As the manager, you need to set the example.
You are going to be looked at to set an example for the rest of the group. Be proactive in creating an environment that works for your organization, and also demonstrates the company’s work ethic and values. By remaining positive and understanding, your employees will try to emulate you, creating a work culture environment that will become extremely motivating!
3. Create a culture of transparency within the workplace.
Speak openly with your employees about business issues and priorities, encouraging them to share their concerns or ideas. Transparency builds trust, and that trust builds mutual respect within the organization.
But remember, people are uniquely different, so you’re going to need to make adjustments and changes along the way until you discover what works for you. For more great advice, talk to one of our IT Staffing Professionals at CultureFit. CultureFit is a full service Technology Staffing and recruitment firm for corporate cultures that value organizational fit, employee satisfaction, and an extremely high level of technical IT skills.
