With regards to managing employees, there’s one thing everybody appears to agree on: You want to keep great people around.
Holding your top workers isn’t simple; however, particularly when it comes to retaining top technical talent on your team. When you’re facing competition from both small, fashionable startups and deep-pocketed tech giants, convincing your engineers and developers to stick around can feel like a never-ending struggle.
For companies with a limited budget, a few low-cost methods can help you hold on to that much-needed specialized talent and foster a valuable work culture. The following suggestions can help you keep your very best people around.
Recognize employees’ value
Don’t leave your employees wondering if their contributions are valued. Recognize their efforts and acknowledge them for their work whenever possible. Figure out how every person on your team likes to be acknowledged and recognize them in that way.
For instance, some might enjoy a personal thank-you note, while others might want to be nominated for an industry award or given some other kind of public acknowledgment.
Prioritize listening and following through
If you engender an environment where feedback is encouraged, your best employees will tell you all about their job satisfaction and ways to improve it. Also, top employees know having a say at your company is valuable and will avoid going somewhere else that doesn’t give employees as much of a voice.
It should go without saying you also need to follow-up on employees’ comments and questions. If you don’t follow through, your top employees will suddenly fall silent and keep their frustrations to themselves, which is not a good thing.
Figure out your unique value proposition
Listening to employees can also help you understand what employees like about working for your organization. Pinpointing those factors that set you apart from the competition is essential for hiring and keeping talent. For instance, employees might like working in your state-of-the-art facility or they might enjoy the loose, friendly vibe your company has.
While your unique value won’t allow you to attract all talent, it will allow you to attract and retain the proper talent for your company.
Chart paths for advancement
No one wants to feel restricted by their current job. In fact, a recent survey by Glassdoor found 76 percent of engineers said they would leave their job for a better growth opportunity.
To keep aspirational top talent, chart specific paths for employee advancement in your organization. These paths should transparently indicate the minimum demands for every degree of advancement, along with management roles that might be filled and potential salary ranges.
Furthermore, you need paths of advancement for people who want to progress their career, but do not want a leadership role. Not all outstanding developers want to be supervisors, but these folks should still have something to aspire to.
Simply put, it’s human nature to stay on the path when you know where it’s heading.
—
At SSi People , we work with our client companies to help them with all of their personal endeavors. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your company succeed.
