3 Ways to Ensure Talent Retention in the Tech Industry

In the past few years Ireland has solidified itself as a global hub for technology giants. With Google, Facebook and Microsoft just some of the big names in the tech industry to establish offices here, it is no wonder Ireland has almost 140,000 people working in the high tech sector already.

There is therefore no doubting the need to attract more and more tech talent to meet the employment demands of the plethora of international tech companies now in Ireland. Add to that the possibility of an influx of workers coming to Ireland in the wake of Brexit, and Irish employers need to understand how to manage and maintain an increase in tech talent.

Attracting tech talent is only the starting point. It’s getting your tech employees to stay that is the real challenge. There is little more frustrating to a company than having to say goodbye to its best tech workers.

So, here are three tips to help your organisation hold on to your best tech employees:

1. Find the Right Fit

It may sound like a no-brainer, but taking the time during the hiring process to find an employee that is the right fit for your company will pay dividends. An employee who clearly understands their role and shares the values of a company is less likely to want to jump ship.
 
To get this right, it is important for employers to be very clear on job descriptions for applicants. Employers should include as much information about a new position as possible and make sure you have a clear company ethos – employees need to know what they are signing up for! Getting a solid fit at this stage will undoubtedly improve the retention rate of your tech staff. As the CIO of Ascential, Sean Harley put it, “if you hire well, the best talent pool is the one you already have.”

2. Communicate, Engage and Support

While hiring gets tech talent through the door, continuous communication, engagement and support will help retain your tech workers. ‘Talking to techies’ may have a reputation for being a daunting task, but it is an essential part of a successful workplace. Do not make your tech staff feel like they are on the periphery of the team – this is likely to push them away.

The tech industry, according to a recent Fortune 500 study, has the highest turnover of any other industry. Supporting your tech staff, through including them in high-level meetings or offering flexible working hours for example, is one of the best ways to make sure they don’t think the grass is greener elsewhere.
 
3. Provide Learning Curves

While financial incentives or an increase in pay may seem like a logical way to retain staff, it should not be considered a silver bullet. Often tech workers appreciate being challenged and allowed to innovate. Don’t be afraid to up-skill tech employees. Trust in the people you have to perform new tasks rather than always harping back to the lengthy and costly hiring process. You should find this will stimulate the mind of a tech worker much more while increasing their productivity and satisfaction. This is a two-pronged solution – tech employees will value opportunities to be more creative when given more demanding responsibilities and employers should see an increase in talent retention.

Let’s make no bones about it – the need for tech employees is on the rise across all industries. As more and more business turn towards digital, the challenge for employers is managing what may be an entirely new department in their organisation. One of the best ways to do this in general is through continuity. Continuity requires talent retention. The quicker tech staff are recognised as an integral part of your organisation, and treated as such, the more efficient and effective they will be. So, be diligent in your hiring, keep your tech talent happy and do your utmost to keep them on board - after all, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. 

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The 2017 Great Place to Work HR Trends Survey has revealed that HR professionals are moving more and more towards leadership roles within their companies. A massive 82% of people surveyed contested that HR influence in the leadership team had increased and three-quarters agreed that the HR function and HR Analytics played a key role in an organisation.

So, this begs the question: In what ways can HR professionals positively influence leadership roles and increase the HR function within an organisation?

1. Employer Branding
 
HR professionals need to recognise and understand their crucial role in employer branding. Gone are the days when attracting talent was left solely to the marketing team. Creating a consistent employer brand image, which ultimately draws in desirable talent, relies on inputs from all of an organisation’s departments, not least the HR department.

It is essential for HR to ensure employer branding is in line with the values of the company. Should this not be the case, organisations could find talent retention decreasing as employees may jump ship if there isn’t brand cohesion throughout the company. 

2. Mentor line managers in HR practice

That being said, while employer branding might get new talent through the door, managers have a duty to ensure employees are content and working effectively and efficiently. This will, in turn, lead to an increase in talent retention.
 
As Helen Rosethorn, CEO of Bernard Hodes explains, ‘people join brands and leave managers.’ Therefore a vital role of HR is to mentor line managers on how best to treat an organisation’s employees. This may sound slightly condescending, however, there are many aspects of the workplace which not all managers are necessarily well versed in. How to deal with a quarrel on the office floor, giving positive and negative feedback when required, managing workers of varying age groups and providing performance reviews – these are all examples of areas where HR advice to line managers is invaluable.
 
What’s more, according to the Trends Survey, managers are highly motivated to learn more in these areas, so it’s down to HR offer up this guidance. The beauty of this? While it may strain resources in the short term, having line managers able to perform HR duties will ultimately take stress and strain off the HR department.

3. Increase Diversity

It is a known fact that women are grossly under represented in leadership roles within organisations in Ireland. A 2016 Survey by 30% Club Ireland found that only 14% of Irish companies have a female chief executive or Head of Operations. Yet, many studies have found that having more women in the top echelons of a business leads to greater productivity, efficiency and profit.
 
HR can and must play a central role in rectifying this lack of diversity in the workplace. Firstly, HR can offer more flexible working conditions which may increase employee satisfaction. Secondly HR can ensure that there is no unconscious bias towards males in the workplace. This unconscious bias could be in things like dress code for example. Finally, the most important thing HR should do is raise awareness of the lack of gender diversity. This leads back to HR creating an employer brand – one that appeals to all cohorts of society and aims to harness gender equality in the workplace.

As organisations change and grow to meet the demands of globalisation, so too does the function of HR. HR is much more than the department that deals with contracts and dismissals. As we have seen there are many other, perhaps under acknowledged roles HR can play in order to maximise efficiency and ensure the smooth running of your organisation. Companies must be aware of these in order to get the best out of their workers.

So there you have it, three important roles HR can play in your business that you may not have thought of before.

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