As the IT industry continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace, integrating new technologies and work practices, it will be an increasingly common problem for team leaders to find employees whose skills meet the demand of more specialized roles. And yet, the most practical and effective solution may in fact not be finding new employees, but rather retraining existing employees. After all, we all know that recruiting, interviewing, and training new employees costs valuable time, money, and resources. Updating the skill sets of current employees, on the other hand, is relatively straightforward.
The secret lies in building a culture of continuous learning in your workplace. The IT industry is famously dynamic and rapidly evolving, so it’s crucial that companies implement education and development programs to endow their employees with an adaptive instinct. Existing employees must be aware that due to the nature of the industry they work in, their job descriptions are likely to remain in a state of flux. In order to succeed, they will need to stay up to date on the most recent tech and how it can be used to the advantage of their department and that of the company.
Inevitably, you or other team leaders are going to feel compelled to look outside your employee base to bring someone onboard who is qualified to solve some new technical problem. Resist this compulsion, and instead, look inward. Your company has a team of qualified and talented professionals at your disposal. We know this because if they weren’t, why would they have been hired in the first place? Also important to keep in mind is the fact that your existing employees already have a deep understanding of the inner workings of your business and your products. Capitalize on this pre-existing knowledge within your team, and trust in them to be able to adapt to the changing conditions of their industry.
To learn more about how your team’s efficiency and output can be maximized, contact us here.
