The Great Resignation is upon us, and no industry or department is being spared.
In the past few months, we've seen a massive increase in professionals leaving their roles and seeking new employment. This is a natural reaction to the rising pressure from the challenges of living and working through the COVID economic crisis.
Now that we’re nearly two years into it, many people are looking to make a change. At the same time, there’s an incredible demand for qualified professionals to fill thousands of available positions across the US.
Everyone is caught in the churn, so how can your business cope when an essential employee like your IT person is caught in the Turnover Tsunami?
Lately, we’ve had several small and mid-sized businesses contact us saying, "My IT person just put in their two weeks’ notice. What do I do now?".
This question rings true with thousands of businesses across the nation right now. Fortunately, you have several good options to fill that IT seat.
3 Options for Staffing Your IT Department When An IT Employee Leaves
1. Outsource the IT Department
Bringing in an outside team is the fastest way to fill the gap and may be essential to your business continuity. It also eliminates the HR concerns that come with recruiting, hiring, and training (and potentially replacing) a new hire.
If your departing IT pro is still on board, get in touch with a trusted outsourced IT team. The best results come when your outsourced provider gets as much time with the outgoing IT manager as possible. This provides a more robust "knowledge transfer" and a seamless transition from one IT manager to the next.
If that's not possible, don't worry. Experienced managed IT services companies are no strangers to coming into a vacated seat and adapting quickly – it's just WAY easier if there is someone to pass on passwords and configurations.
🔎 Related: Learn how to fill in the gaps in your IT capability. Get the Guide to Managed IT Services
2. Hire a New IT Manager
If you prefer to have an on-staff IT professional at the helm, start your hiring process immediately but expect a gap between the departure of your current IT team member and their replacement. Two weeks is standard when an employee departs, but we all know that recruiting, hiring, and getting a new employee up to speed typically takes longer than two weeks – especially considering IT professionals are in high demand right now.
Ask your departing IT pro to leave onboarding information for their replacement so that when you finally do find the right new IT manager and bring them on board, they will have all the passwords and procedures to start with (and won't have to hack into your system to get started).
If finding the right candidate is taking too long, consider using a managed IT service provider's staff augmentation services to find someone in the interim while you're still looking to fill the position internally.
3. Combine In-House and Outsourced IT Teams
Some companies strongly prefer in-house IT, but they also need the additional capabilities of an outsourced IT team to boost productivity, take care of routine or complex security tasks, handle infrastructure, or take on special projects.
In these cases, a hybrid solution could be the best of both worlds.
When your company has had an in-house IT manager for years, you’re used to that personal touch and the freedom to ask that person to do whatever tasks may be needed at any given moment. Outsourcing the IT department entirely may leave you feeling like you aren't getting the kind of service you’re used to, even though they could still get help at a moment's notice from the outsourced IT company.
Instead of in-house or outsourced, you can have both. One person can’t know everything, so this could be the best of both worlds. Your IT manager handles user support and other in-house tasks AND has a team of people to help strategize, take care of the countless routine tasks that are involved in IT, and act as an escalation team when they get stuck on a complex problem.
This also supports many business leaders' goal of having employees focused on strategic items, while a qualified outsourced team takes care of the routine tasks.
Planning for an IT Change?
Did your IT manager just put in their notice? Or do you think they might? Now might be a good time to start evaluating your options so you're ready if they do. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation for interim and outsourced IT services.
