One columnist recently argued that the IT skills shortage in Australia was a mythââ,¬"instead questioning how we could effectively match-up skilled workers with the employers looking for them.
It's not exactly a problem unique to the Australian marketplace, nor to the IT sector for that matter but CIOs and IT managers continue to battle to retain good tech staff. How do you convince your star workers to stay when they've got offers from elsewhere which you just can't afford to match?
The flip side of the coin is what to do about those consistent underperformers. This week, the IT Manager channel ran a story about the dilemmas faced when balancing the short-term pain of hiring someone new, against keeping someone who just isn't performing. It's a tough decision to make, particularly if you like the person.
One of the downsides of being a manager is making those tough decisions. You don't want to ask someone to leave, but ultimately you have to look at the effect it is having on the department, or the business.
There may be ways to try and resolve the issue without resorting to firing themââ,¬"coaching, skills training, partnering with another team member to help get them up to speed. And if you think this might be the answer, then it's well worth the effort.
Managers have different styles, alternative ways of approaching these issues. What would you do in these situations? How does an IT manager decide if it's time to let a staff member go? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.
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