Working in an IT department can seem like trudging to the salt mines every day--at least if you listen to some techies. Complaints about losing work to outsourcing, cost-cutting, indifferent bosses and small cubicles are common. This perception of the IT workplace as being micromanaged, bureaucratic and creativity-stifling isn't productive for anyone. Finding a way to capture the excitement and pure fun of working on cutting-edge IT projects is key to employee happiness and retention. To do that, do whatever it takes to create excitement, put your efforts back into your employees instead of automatically resorting to outsourcing, make sure IT interacts with the rest of the company, and let IT be more than firefighters. Also, make sure IT professionals know what's expected of them and provide continuous feedback.

Learn more about making IT a better place to work:
- read the article at eWeek

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- read this on helping your employees advance