5 Ways to Retain IT Staff - After Report Shows a Quarter Want to Quit

Matt Harris

31/08/2023 09:44 AM

New research by has revealed that a quarter of IT professionals are considering quitting their job in the next six months.

That’s according to Ivanti’s Defending IT Talent Report, which warned that this exodus of IT workers has the potential to cost UK employers more than £19 billion pounds.

Some of the other takeaways of the report include workers twice as likely to work longer hours, 1 in 4 of them reporting burnout and 1 in 12 having their mental health suffering as a result.

Furthermore, a mere 8% of organisations are prioritising automation for repetitive tasks in 2023, despite its potential to alleviate the workload pressures faced by IT teams.

"IT teams are the driving force making Everywhere Work a reality for organisations, yet they are grappling with a heavy workload," said Jeff Abbott, CEO at Ivanti.

"In fact, organisations continue to struggle to retain IT talent (a decades long problem) – and it is costing them productivity gains and affecting their bottom line. Companies must embrace automation to alleviate IT workloads, ultimately fostering a destination environment that retains premier IT professionals and cultivates a competitive advantage. We’ve spent years digitally transforming all corners of the business, now is the time to transform the IT environments and help the people that make all of the transformation possible.”

The report emphasises that IT talent disengagement, quiet quitting, and turnover are not a result of remote work itself but stem from the lack of resources, tools, and support available to these employees. It outlines five actionable steps businesses can take to enable Everywhere Work for IT and security professionals:

Diagnose IT work-life pressure points

Use internal surveys and one-on-ones to get a pulse on mindsets at work. From there, take note of the specific pressure points brought on by hybrid and remote work

Inventory tech-specific experiences

IT talent report higher rates of dissatisfaction with the tools they use when working offsite (nearly 1 in 4 say this). By tracking digital employee experience (DEX), the insights can help pinpoint areas that need attention/investment

Prioritise automation for IT workflows

To free up IT talent for more valuable projects, invest in technology that handles repetitive tasks automatically and apply workflow automation to both employee-facing activities as well as back-office workflows

Give employees choices about how they work

Offer IT talent the chance to define the work style that suits their individual circumstances, and in doing so, boost IT recruitment and retention

Foster in-person connection for IT teams

Face-to-face meetings present an opportunity to build trust and camaraderie. It’s easier to have a connection with someone on the other side of the screen if the team just spent the day having lunch and hanging out together.

To learn more about the results of Ivanti’s Defending IT Talent report, please visit here.