Five IT Professionals You Can’t Afford to Lose

As the economy gains momentum, employees will have greater job opportunities, increasing the risk of turnover. These factors make retention a growing concern for technology leaders. In fact, 43 percent of CIOs surveyed by our company said that keeping existing workers will be their No.1 staffing priority in 2010.

When you think of retaining employees, no doubt the first people to come to mind are your top performers. These are the individuals who exceed expectations, work hard and make quantifiable contributions to your team’s success. Yet, there are other less obvious types of staff members who you might also want to concentrate on keeping:

The Motivator — This is the employee who builds enthusiasm for new ideas or projects, even when there are clear challenges. Need to upgrade a server on a tight time line? The Motivator is the first to raise a hand for the task, and then inspires others to get involved. Take note of any Motivators on your team, because their leadership potential can be an asset as your company starts expanding again.

The Renaissance Man — This Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades possesses a diverse skill set and is able to apply his or her knowledge to a variety of projects. When business needs change, this employee willingly assumes new duties, allowing your firm to keep up with shifting IT demands. The Renaissance Man or Woman can be beneficial should you find you aren’t able to add staff as quickly as you need to. This person can fill in for other people on the team or take on multiple roles until you develop a longer-term staffing solution.

Read the rest at CIO Update.