Job-hopping has emerged as a common practice for the talent of tomorrow. As younger generations search for the ideal employment opportunity, they’re happy to leap from one position to the next in the hope of finding something more suited to their specific needs. Unfortunately, this creates a huge problem for companies who need to retain top talent to stay ahead.
Now that around 35% of UK employees expect to change roles in the next 12 months, overcoming the talent shortage means that experts need to not only find but keep the tech stars they bring onboard this year.
Instead of dealing with the time, and money-consuming drain of recruitment churn, there are ways you can convince your top-tier staff to stick around for longer. So how do you keep hold of your tech talent?
1. Optimise Company Culture
While a high salary might be a good way to attract new recruits, it’s your company culture that will convince them to stay. From the moment you start writing your job descriptions, look for ways to demonstrate the most appealing parts of your employer brand.
Since technology professionals prize flexibility, innovation, and opportunities for advancement in their careers, it makes sense to develop a brand image that highlights those features. For instance, write a case study for your website about the new technology you’re using on-site, or ask your recently-promoted employee to share their story on social media.
Additionally, showing off your company culture will also help you to demonstrate to your employees that your work environment is a place they can be happy in. When an expert feels comfortable at work, they’re more likely to be open to collaboration, and less likely to suffer from issues of disengagement.
2. Appeal to Their Desire for Development
No matter what kind of tech star you’re looking for, you can rest assured that they’ll be searching for opportunities to advance in your industry. While you might not be able to promote your hires within the first 6 months of bringing them on board, you can show them that you’re invested in their future by working with them on a development plan.
Keep your new recruits happy with regular performance reviews, and opportunities for them to take on more responsibilities in their role. This will help them to feel like they’re constantly moving forward and may improve their sense of “engagement” with your team.
On the other hand, companies can help to develop skills within existing employees to improve the efficiency of their own workforce. For instance, DevOps experts can be trained with security information to help them take on a new, more challenging “DevSecOps” role, and high-performing teams can receive lessons from an agile coach on how to adopt more flexible working strategies.
3. Build on Pre-Existing Skills
People in the technology sector are natural learners. If you can’t immediately offer your hires a salary increase, or an opportunity for promotion, you can give them a sense of progress by offering them opportunities to expand and improve their talents. Ask your candidates about their career plan, explore what’s important to them about what expertise they want to develop, what direction they want their career to go in. Do they see themselves continuing as an ‘expert’ or does a management career interest them? Whatever they aspire to, make sure you have a strategy in place for helping them to achieve their goals.
In a world where your tech talent is becoming increasingly scarce, companies can save themselves a great deal of time and money by building on the capabilities of existing employees, instead of searching for new talent every time the industry changes.
4. Provide Ongoing Support
Today’s team members want to feel appreciated in their roles. Most people spend around a third of their lives working, and today’s generation is unlikely to stay with you if they feel as though they’re not getting enough respect or recognition.
Evaluate the work-life balance for each member of your staff or consider sending out a survey where people can give you their opinions on what it feels like to work for you. If there are problems with motivation, or your team is feeling somewhat stagnant in their careers, then this is a sign that you need to act.
Provide support by listening to what your people need and tackling negativity wherever it arises. Regular recognition in the form of benefits, celebrations, or even a simple pat on the back can be a great way to improve morale.
5. Constantly Evolve
Finally, the technology space is always moving, so you can’t afford to stay still. A high-performing team will want to be on the cutting edge of industry innovations, so make sure that you’re always embracing new opportunities that are relevant to your business. If you’re not sure how you need to progress in a certain space, then bring your tech talent together for a brainstorming session!
At the same time, remember that evolution isn’t just about embracing the latest software and hardware. It’s also about listening to employee feedback and making changes can enhance happiness and engagement within your staff.
Create a culture where your people feel comfortable telling you what they want and need, and you’ll find that your turnover rates start to slow down.