A recent feature in CIO magazine identified 11 strategies for improving IT employees' productivity.
- Set goals, and then break the goals down into achievable steps to be divided and accomplished by individual staffers or teams.
- Provide all team members with the big-picture goal and the role each team member plays.
- Wes Wright, CIO of Seattle Children's Hospital, offered this tip: invest in the best IT tools to help staff do their best work.
- Dedicate time to streamlining the workflow and removing unnecessary tasks.
- Hold regular team meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page, but hold meetings no more than once per week.
- Trust employees to do their job with minimal supervision — don't micromanage.
- Provide as much real-time feedback as possible to correct problems quickly and give employees ownership of their work.
- Schedule times during the day with no inter-office messaging or meetings, to allow employees to focus solely on their projects.
- Offer bonuses for employees who meet certain performance goals.
- Offer advancement opportunities, both to take advantage of individuals' skills as well as show the whole department promotions are possible.
- Offer free food and snack breaks, like Google does.
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