How IT Teams Can Combat the Labor Shortage by Internationalizing Operations
Managing Director, Brandmonks
HR expert Katharina Pratesi has drawn up a plan to make the transition to bilingual communication a smooth one. To fill vacancies in the IT sector, more and more companies are willing to hire talented career changers. These people may not have a traditional IT education, but they bring with them initial knowledge and a high affinity for IT topics. "In addition, these talents are often highly motivated and are usually trained quite quickly on new topics, so that they can be deployed like a fully trained IT specialist after just a few months," says Katharina Pratesi, Managing Director of the Brandmonks consulting firm.
However, companies that do not want to rely on lateral hires can also close their IT skills gap through international talent. "Because the job market offers a lot of potential if decision-makers turn their gaze towards English-speaking talent. But that also means they must come to grips with the idea of internationalizing their corporate language," says the expert. However, this change is not always easy for German SMEs (small and medium-sized companies) in particular. Long-time employees are concerned that this will create information barriers.
In order to exploit the full potential of international IT specialists and remain competitive in the long term, sooner or later many companies will have to make their corporate language bilingual. Care should be taken to prepare all employees to ensure success.
Corporate language
Anyone who wants to change corporate language should plan time for this endeavor and develop a concept around it. According to expert Katharina Pratesi, the following points are particularly important: start with a kick-off event where the concept of the changeover is presented, and everyone can prepare themselves individually. To prepare all employees for the new corporate language, courses should be offered that build on individual previous knowledge. In addition, newsletters, internal blogs, or other communication channels should be established. This can promote the practice of the language and improve the language level in the company.
