One of the biggest obstacles for IT departments is staffing shortages. Approximately 63% of companies struggle with understaffed IT personnel. Moreover, 51% of companies cannot source the talent with the skill sets they need. The results? Your employees cannot receive the support they need, projects are going over budget, and worse, your network is left vulnerable to a possible cyberattack.
So, how can you identify if your team is suffering from being understaffed?
Signs of an understaffed IT department
Your team is overworked
If your IT department is understaffed, your team is suffering from being overworked. Their attention is spreading too thin, forcing them to wear too many hats to ensure they meet all your IT needs. Overtime is becoming a weekly occurrence, which is hurting your bottom line. Your team is becoming stressed and irritable, and as a result, their work is suffering.
Mistakes are occurring
Overstaffed IT departments are more prone to making mistakes. These mistakes may begin as overlooking small details or tasks being left undone. However, over time, these mistakes can add up to a huge security risk that can bring your network to a screeching halt or other services experiencing downtime for unexpected maintenance.
Projects are running late
Another common trend of understaffed IT teams is missing crucial deadlines. When projects are running late, your team’s attention shifts away from other projects or concerns, which can quickly create a backlog of projects. As a result, the costs associated with each project begin to rack up, raising red flags to senior leadership.
Employee turnover
If your team is experiencing the above signs, the risk of higher employee turnover occurs. If your team is overwhelmed and overworked, they will ultimately seek other opportunities that offer more resources and better work-life balances. When employees start leaving, your quality of work further declines, projects become impossible to complete, and your company loses money by the fistful.
Solutions to understaffed IT teams
So, with 29% of IT departments believing they lack the adequate personnel to function properly, what can your team do to solve this issue before it transpires into something much graver?
Address the situation with your team
The first thing you should do is address this understaffing issue with your team and identify the cause. Provide examples to your boss or leadership team of why your department is understaffed and the results of the dilemma. Solving this problem may be as simple as bringing it to light to the right people. Share where you are spending your hours and each task you are responsible for working on. Once you identify the source of the problem, you can work on a solution.
Hire a contract worker
If the root of the problem is simply being understaffed, the only solution is to bolster your IT group. One way your team can get support is by hiring a contract worker. If you need help in one specific area, hiring a contractor might be a great solution. You can hire a temp worker with a flexible schedule that meets your department’s needs. If you only need to enlist help for a particular project, this might be the best option. Once their support is no longer needed, you can terminate their contract, saving your team the hassle and costs of laying off a permanent employee.
If this sounds like the best solution for your IT needs, JSG can work with you to source qualified contractors that will fill any critical staffing gaps.
Outsource some of your IT projects or tasks
Moreover, if your staffing shortages are more critical, it may be time to consider outsourcing part of your IT tasks. Now that you understand where your team’s deficiencies are, you can outsource those responsibilities. So, if your team is getting bogged down with troubleshooting hardware devices, you can easily outsource your helpdesk support. Whatever your shortcomings are, you can outsource those tasks to a certified JSG expert with our IT Consulting Services.
With JSG’s extensive IT consulting service offerings, we can create a custom solution that is the perfect fit for your organization. We offer 24/7 support and are ready to alleviate your IT team’s staffing shortages. Therefore, if this solution sounds like an excellent fit for your needs, reach out to our IT Consulting Services experts today, and let’s have a conversation!
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