A leading driver of a successful business is an engaged and motivated staff. Having an involved tech team is essential for any company. Unfortunately, many companies underutilize the full benefit and potential of their tech team because of low engagement. In this article, Ferrari Energy shares several proven methods to help keep this critical part of your company engaged.
Think of all the responsibilities that fall to your tech team. Of course, the list will vary depending on the type of company you run. Still, at a minimum, your techies are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the company network, your software and cloud deployments, your computers and IoT devices, cybersecurity and protecting sensitive data, and much more.
Now think about how engaged these employees are with the rest of your staff. How well do you know them? How well does everyone else know them? For some companies, an unfortunate stereotype exists and places your technical department isolated somewhere in the basement, if not literally, then figuratively.
Here are some great ways to help your tech team stay engaged with the organization.
Digital tools: There’s no surprise here; techies like technology. Use modern communication tools to stay abreast of what’s going on with everyone in the company, especially the tech team. Slack, WhatsApp, Trello, and Evernote are just a few of the dozens, if not hundreds, of communication tools that your tech department will readily adopt. These apps provide visibility into who’s struggling with what issues and who’s able to help.
New hire orientation: Someone from your tech team should play a significant role in employee orientation. That is the time to get new employees familiar with what the tech team does for the organization and the best ways to engage with them. Try rotating members of the group through this assignment, so everyone gets an opportunity to orient new hires.
Employee training: Ongoing training is probably already a part of your employee development program. Create a training module to help employees better understand the technology they encounter in their jobs. Get the tech team to lead this training.
Cybersecurity training: It isn’t easy to overstate the importance of ongoing cybersecurity training for all employees. Phishing attacks happen to every company, and they happen more and more often. Threat actors are more sophisticated than ever before. Unless you have a dedicated security team, your techies are best positioned to provide this training to the rest of the staff.
Non-problem-related access: Do your employees only have contact with a tech team member when there is a problem? If so, change that. In addition, create opportunities for the tech team to engage with other departments. For example, ask them to contribute to the company blog or provide an “ask the techie” link on your intranet.
Cross-training: Many successful companies require every employee to spend at least a few days working in different departments. Think how helpful it would be to have a technology group member ride along with a salesperson for a week, and vice versa. The relationships they will build alone are well worth the expense.
Regardless of what kind of business you run, technology plays a significant role in your success. Therefore, your tech team should be at the forefront of business communication and training.
About Ferrari Energy
Ferrari Energy is a family-owned private oil and gas company focused on mineral and leasehold acquisitions. Ferrari Energy took its name from its founder, Adam Ferrari. Adam is a native of Chicago and was formally educated in chemical and biomolecular engineering. He completed his degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and finished at the top of his class, graduating magna cum laude. As a young professional, Adam worked in the operations and business sides of the energy industry. After gaining ten years of direct industry experience, he took his passion for the energy industry and launched Ferrari Energy.
