From software to mechanical engineers, it’s crucial to recruit and keep engineering talent for the long haul. Also, how do you continuously motivate them to solve new problems in creative, efficient ways? Keep reading to learn some top tips on how to retain your best engineers.
How To Retain Engineers: Best Practices
From the occasional catered lunch and well-stocked snacks to other perks (such as areas for team members to socialize and even exercise equipment), it’s important to keep employees happy.
Below, however, you’ll find a few less obvious ways to recruit, motivate, and retain engineers at your company.
Promote your culture & vision for the company
The values, processes, and priorities that drive your company make up the culture. When it comes to how to retain engineers, that piece is critical. Consider these values:
- The mindset that every problem has a solution. Avoid blame; focus on fixing the issue
- Engineers should be able to stand by their views but also support decisions once they are made
- Supporting all employees when they run into personal/professional obstacles
Engineers will often remain with a company not solely for pay — but also for the chance to work on an important vision for which they see progress ahead. Zone in on key cultural elements that set you apart from other companies; it’s key for talent retention. Of course, while those things won’t help you always attract all sorts of talent, they’ll certainly help you recruit as well as retain the right hires.
Identify the things that make you a great workplace. Then, promote those points to existing employees and prospective candidates.
Offer room to grow
Particularly in software, an engineer’s growth opportunities prove among the highest drivers of engagement for technical talent.
Employers should make professional development available as well as encourage it. Consider providing reimbursement for training and certification. Or, trips to seminars and trade shows. Managers should also actively speak with employees to get a sense of their concerns and what matters to them. When it comes to how to retain engineers, ensure they receive the growth opportunities they need to remain on board.
Detail specific paths for advancement to avoid technical talent from leaving in search of greener pastures. Make a career ladder document to display requirements for each level of engineering and management roles.
Make it clear what employees can expect. It’s human nature: People are much more likely to stay the path if they know where it’s actually heading.
Make flexibility a priority
Engineers are creative and passionate about their work. They won’t complete their best work (or stick around for long) if they feel they are being micromanaged and second-guessed.
Give engineers the leeway to select their own approaches to solving problems. Then, measure their results rather than how they achieved them.
You might even allow your engineers to have a certain amount of time every week to pursue side projects. This allows them to stay interested and even bring innovative ideas to the table more frequently.
Put the right tech in place
Particularly for software engineers, keeping the latest and greatest version of anything is a smart retention tactic. It keeps engineers up-to-date in a fast-changing tech world — including fast computers, large-screen monitors and even standing desks.
On top of competitive salaries, the intangible perks will keep top engineers at your company. An engineer must have confidence in the prospects for your organization, feel like they’re learning, enjoy the culture and have a high level of meaning and purpose.
For more insight on how to retain engineers — and to find the right hires for your business — contact TruPath.
As a trusted recruitment source for more than a decade, TruPath has the industry knowledge and a proven model to help our partners feel comfortable in their search for a candidate.
Through our TruProcess, we are able to consistently deliver exceptional candidates that help organizations continue down successful paths. Contact TruPath today in order to tell us about your staffing needs.