Governments across the globe are facing workforce challenges that are impacting their ability to run efficiently and productively. With limited staff, a limited budget, a limited number of skilled applicants, and higher employee expectations, this workforce challenge has become one of the most significant problems government leadership has to address.
“Workforce is the single largest challenge any leader faces and getting the workforce component right is the make/break success of the CIO.” – 2022 NASCIO Survey Respondent
Government IT teams are currently trying to deal with preparing their workforces for the future, difficulty finding the right skills and expertise in candidates, and retaining employees amid growing workplace expectations. Watch this clip to see how Nevada DOT has identified and addressed workforce challenges in their IT department.
CIOs understand the problem at hand; the question now is how they can address it. What are some of the tactics and strategies different teams are currently trying or are planning to implement soon?
Technology is constantly evolving. For your current employees to continue to see success in their roles, they need to be trained and updated on the latest innovations regularly so that they can keep up.
According to the 2022 NASCIO survey, many CIOs are updating job titles and descriptions to reflect those of the private sector more closely. This means using more modern terminology, updating descriptions with the latest required technical knowledge, and using buzzwords to attract more applicants.
It is no secret that employees today want hybrid work opportunities. People appreciate having the option to work from home as it has become apparent during the pandemic that our workforces are more than capable of doing it. CIOs are offering more opportunities for hybrid work to increase the number of applicants and retain existing employees.
Another trend from the pandemic that employees want to stay is flexible scheduling. Many people have found that they shouldn’t have to work the standard 9-5. As long as they get their work done, why should it matter when they do it? This is why, when possible, many CIOs also want to offer more flexibility to their staff.
Many hiring teams for government IT teams are also planning to find ways to streamline their hiring process to save them time. This is a win for the IT team as they will be able to fill the role much quicker and begin the process of onboarding, and it is a win for the candidate as they can step into their role and start sooner.
CIOs, hiring managers, and IT teams are all working together to implement some of the above changes to their hiring process or work culture. That being said, what else can be done to continue to recruit new employees and retain the ones you already have? According to the results of the 2022 NASCIO survey, some of the top tactics to grow applicant pools and retain IT staff for state and local governments:
No matter what kind of workforce challenges your IT team is currently facing, one of the most important things to remember is that they need to be given the right tools. With Extreme Networks, your team will be given innovative technology and different training opportunities to make sure that whether they are new to this type of technology or need a refresher on the latest updates, they have the right tools to do their job.
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