2021 was the year of The Great Resignation. Around the globe, we saw record numbers of people quitting their jobs. It hit a peak in November in the U.S. with 4.5 million resignations, equating to 3% of workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tech and healthcare were two of the hardest-hit industries.
IT teams weren’t exempt. Already overburdened, dwindling teams are now being asked to do even more. There’s greater pressure to onboard droves of new starters as well as to offboard leavers to limit data security issues. Additionally, teams are battling with more requests from non-technical remote employees, even as they strive to deliver new collaboration tools and implement digital transformation plans requested by company leaders.
So, what’s 2022 going to look like? It’s predicted resignations will continue without the spikes seen in 2021. But the way we work has changed, at least for now. The trend towards remote and flexible working will continue, and the number of enterprise digital transformation programs will likely increase.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
In organizations comprising tens of thousands of employees, a small percentage of staff changes a month can translate to hundreds of employees. Often the tools used across the company don’t interact, so you need to rely on manual intervention for many tasks. That means devoting many team members and hours, diverting focus from other programs.
Think how much time your teams spend poring over HR reports, emailing to confirm new equipment, and shipping requirements. How long does it take to compile equipment and applications inventories for those about to leave the organization? Or to chase up the return of equipment?
The onboarding of hundreds of employees can be a huge effort. New employees may wait days or weeks to receive technology when IT doesn’t have the correct information in time to coordinate procurement. That becomes a much bigger issue when employees work remotely. And when tired and overworked IT teams make mistakes, they can encounter bigger issues down the line.
Those who stick with manual processes going forward won’t just struggle to keep up with business requests; they could also find it harder to attract new talent. While traditionally, new staffers cut their teeth managing manual, repetitive tasks, the next generation of IT workers won’t be so amenable. They’re more attracted to roles where they can see how they can impact the big picture.
With tasks and project requests piling up, if you’re one of the many IT decision-makers struggling to close the skills gap in your team and recruit new talent to replace those who left last year, you may want to consider automating your IT infrastructure. Automation can offer myriad opportunities to help your teams manage growing workloads and help them become more engaged as you staff up operations
Tools That Reduce the Impact of the Great Resignation
More specifically, your IT teams may want to consider a digital platform conductor (DPC), which connects to and orchestrates your disparate IT and business tools, doing the hard work of aggregating, normalizing and analyzing data and automating workflows to allow your teams to do more with less effort.
Some other advantages of using a DPC to help reduce the impact of the Great Resignation and alleviate your IT teams include:
- Streamline the onboarding process: Using real-time and up-to-date information from HR databases will help you better prepare for new hires. With a clear view of business changes in real-time and the ability to orchestrate tools across the company, you can automate emails to confirm equipment requirements and shipping details, align procurement plans, and ensure everything is in place for new employees joining the business without worrying about sharing outdated information.
- Cut the time and effort of offboarding: Offboarding an employee can be even more time-consuming for an IT team, depending on the equipment and data they managed during their tenure. With a proper DPC, IT teams will be able to access reports on equipment and applications associated with outgoing employees. This, in turn, would trigger automated workflows to end access, wipe data, and repurpose hardware or enter it into IT asset disposition programs.
- Reduce project backlog: Streamlining existing IT programs such as Windows servicing, Asset Management, and Cloud Migrations, allowing your teams to focus on new digital initiatives such as anywhere operations and the delivery of new collaboration tools to meet business needs.
- Attract talent with more compelling roles: By removing repetitive manual tasks, IT teams can focus on more meaningful work, increasing employee engagement. You’ll have a new perspective on your areas of focus and be able to create roles that are more attractive to IT workers.
While the pandemic, skill shortage and Great Resignation continue to upend the workplace, IT teams have solutions and technologies to help keep employees safe and secure while maintaining a business’s hardware and software assets.
Find out how to reduce the impact of the Great Resignation on your IT team. Schedule a quick call with our team. We’re here to help.
