"The more IT employees feel the organization is invested in them, the more invested they become in return. When employees feel appreciated and listened to, productivity and creativity on the job rises to the benefit of the business."

• Engage in Quality Communication. Respondents feel leadership connects frequently enough with 69% saying leadership connects either daily or weekly. However, only 52% rate leadership's ability to keep employees informed and plugged into the strategy as excellent or very good.



• Solicit More Feedback. Only 25% feel leadership completely understands what goes on at the line level. Moreover, 86% of IT professionals believe their leadership could benefit from having a better understanding of line-level employees.



• Listen. Seventy-seven percent of IT professionals believe their insights can help the organization. Seventy-one percent believe that compared to leadership, line-level employees come up with ideas that are more likely to work in practice.



• Select Managers with Care. Seventy-two percent of IT professionals rate the majority of managers they've had in their careers as "poor." Additionally, fifty-five percent do not believe their managers help them achieve their professional goals.



• Ensure Managers Serve Down, Not Just Up. Only 56% indicate their leader seeks out and/or listens to the team's ideas. Sixty-four percent also say their leader would benefit from more direct feedback from his/her team.