How To Attract The Right Tech Talent With An Eye On Retaining It

Innovation How To Attract The Right Tech Talent With An Eye On Retaining It Mahesh Saptharishi Forbes Councils Member Forbes Technology Council COUNCIL POST Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based) Jul 28, 2022, 06:45am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Motorola Solutions .

getty On the heels of the more than a record 4. 3 million workers leaving their jobs in January alone , attracting talent remains a priority. However, amid the challenging economic environment, the focus on hiring the right talent sharpens alongside retaining top talent.

At the same time, employees are re-prioritizing what they look for in a company, from innovative cultures and achieving a sense of purpose to a healthy work-life balance and better benefits. Recruits are also taking note of how an organization functions as a “corporate citizen,” meaning its impact on society and the environment. The stakes are high.

Without dedicated people, the viability of a company, regardless of size or stature, is feeble, especially in economic uncertainty. While there is no quick fix for tech companies, here are a few lessons I have taken away during my professional experience. 1.

Emphasize purpose. While people connect with a company’s products or services, they also want to buy into the reasons why a company exists and how it can contribute to having a positive impact on society. Concisely articulating your purpose, for example, through an employee value proposition (EVP), can give recruits something tangible to hold on to and a way to envision their future at your company.

MORE FOR YOU Google Issues Warning For 2 Billion Chrome Users Forget The MacBook Pro, Apple Has Bigger Plans Google Discounts Pixel 6, Nest & Pixel Buds In Limited-Time Sale Event Further, weaving your purpose into everything your company does, from business decisions to meetings with customers and employee events, establishes a clear, common goal the entire company can rally around. 2. Prioritize structured growth.

Tech leaders must create space for their employees to create, lean into their interests and learn. Set up structured time for your employees to work on projects outside of their typical day-to-day tasks. Protecting this time for employees promotes a healthy balance between daily responsibilities and personal and professional development.

A great example of this is Google’s longstanding initiative of ” 20% time ,” which is a formalized process focused on encouraging new skill development and creative thinking. Projects can range from chasing a passion project, taking a training course or addressing a deprioritized task. 3.

Hire a head of culture. Alongside key business performance indicators like sales, revenue and margins, it is equally vital to prioritize your employees who enable you to meet these goals in creating a positive work culture. Hiring a dedicated resource to focus on culture holds you, as a leader, accountable for not only fostering professional development opportunities, networking events or hackathons but also letting your team know you are committed to their growth and appreciate their dedication.

When Satya Nadella took over Microsoft, he enacted a shift from a “know-it-all” mentality to a “learn-it-all” mentality amongst his workforce. Demonstrating the importance of culture in long-term business success was one small step that helped transform the company’s culture and put it on an upward financial trajectory . People are the cornerstone to achieving business success.

While people are any company’s largest investment, employees are more empowered than ever to be selective in what companies they choose to invest in themselves. Embracing this notion, companies are stepping up to the plate to ensure they are a top place to work, acknowledging it’s time to embrace the change or get left behind. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.

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