One of the biggest pain points IT Managers face
Depending on the company it might be controversial to say that some of the most important and valuable work isn’t done by top executives or C-suite positions, but rather the middle managers who are the glue holding everything together. This is even more true for tech companies and their IT managers who have been stretched even thinner since the rise of hybrid/remote work after COVID-19 changed the way we work forever.
Before COVID-19, IT managers were already stressed and overworked but as many companies were forced to go remote so quickly, and are continuing to have many employees work from home either full time or part-time, IT managers have had to take on more demands. Not only are IT managers’ roles evolving to take on more responsibility, but the constant new emerging technology and demand for that technology is also impossible to keep up with. The solution sounds as easy as just hiring more tech talent to meet the demand, however, that solution isn’t accounting for one of the largest pain points IT managers face today.
The fact that there is a huge skill gap in the tech industry. For emerging and experienced talent, there is too much new technology to keep up with. Not to mention companies all use a variety of different tech stacks making it impossible for talent to keep up. 39% of IT decision-makers report talent recruitment and retention as their largest pain point and 60% of IT executives cite a skills shortage as their main hiring pain point. So not only are IT managers being faced with more demand in their jobs and never-ending new technology to learn, but also no talent with the right skills or knowledge needed to help satisfy the demand.
The skills gaps impact on IT Managers
High demand and lack of supply is an issue no one wants to deal with. The rising demand for skilled tech talent and tech skill gaps have had a large impact on organizations and more directly on IT managers. Here are the top 5 ways skill gaps directly impact IT managers and their teams:
1. Increased Stress On Existing Employees
55% of IT managers report skill gaps directly increasing stress of current employees as well as themselves. The risk of employee burnout becomes higher as workloads become unmanageable and employee retention drops.
2. Difficulty Delivering Quality Work
42% of IT managers report skill gaps attributed to lower quality work. Excellence will often be compromised when employees are stressed or overworked. How can they deliver quality work in a stressful environment where the workload is unbearable?
3. Increased Talent Acquisition Costs
IT managers already have tight budgets they are responsible for. Now they are having to look into additional training that is expensive, prolonged training/onboarding periods which is costly to the organization, or offering a higher salary that they don’t have the budget for to attract talent with all the necessary skills. Talk about choosing the lesser evil.
4. Increased Project Duration
35% of IT managers report project duration being negatively impacted by skill gaps with their existing and new workforce. When a team doesn’t have the skills needed to finish projects, those projects will be more time-consuming. Employees who don’t have the necessary skills will have to take longer on projects as they learn while they go.
5. Delayed Deployments of New Hardware and/or Software
21% of IT managers report delays in hardware/software deployments due to the impact of skill gaps. It is impossible to stay on top of all the technological needs of companies when everyone on the IT team is overworked. Projects get delayed, meaning new hardware and software get delayed which can cause issues company-wide. Especially when it comes to cyber security which is becoming a growing concern for companies every day.
All of this adds up to be a big hit to IT teams and the organizations they are a part of. IDC predicts that in 2022, the monetary losses resulting from IT skill gaps will be $775 billion worldwide. Clearly, skill gaps are a challenge that IT managers and organizations must address.
Many organizations have decided to address the pain points above by trying to train their current workforce, getting them more online certifications, or bringing in external training. In some cases this is effective, but none of the content is tailored specifically to the team’s needs and is also not cost-effective. Is there a better way?
The Solution: Virtual Experience Programs and Featured Courses
At Deeplo AI we have a better way. Through Virtual Experience Programs (VXP’s) companies can create tailored experiences that replicate the specific skills and tasks they need tech talent trained in. Through our “Train First, The Hire ” mentality talent would be able to complete a role-specific training created by the company of their choice, have their resume prioritized for interviews after completion, and become work-ready. Candidates who have completed a VXP will already be trained, qualified, and provide the IT managers with a pool of qualified individuals who can help to fill the skill gaps on their team before even going through onboarding.
Filling skill gaps through VXP’s help IT managers:
- Reduce stress for themselves and their teams by adding qualified talent to overworked teams to minimize workloads.
- Improve work quality by reducing team stress as well as having a more skilled team that meets the required demands.
- Decrease talent acquisition costs greatly through cost-effective VXP’s as a solution that fills skill gaps while also being within budget.
- Complete projects faster by having a team full of experts allowing for more innovation, growth, and meeting business objectives that align with the company vision.
- Stay on top of the changing tech needs of companies by having a quality IT team to make sure software/hardware is being deployed properly and on time to help the efficiency and safety of the company as a whole.
Deeplo AI also offers Featured Courses as a quicker way for your current team members to brush up on skills, learn about new emerging technology, and stay current with IT trends. Featured Courses are created by experts in the field and offer quick but efficient ways for employees to continue to learn. Along with VXP’s, Featured Courses aim to help IT Managers fill skill gaps of all levels while remaining cost-efficient.
There is no doubt the importance of building a quality IT team is more important today than ever before. While IT managers face many difficulties, addressing skill gaps will be necessary moving forward to ensure IT teams thrive.
If you are interested in working with Deeplo AI to create a VXP for your IT roles please request a demo and check out our website for more information.
To learn more about Deeplo AI’s VXP programs and how you can be a part of the solution, please visit our website https://deeploai.com/. To stay up to date with all Deeplo AI news, please follow us on LinkedIn as well as check out our weekly blog posts, updated every Monday.
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