Retention Strategies That Actually Work

You’ve seen the migration, and you’ve likely experienced it in your own design firm. People are leaving their jobs and changing their roles, not just in Architecture and Design but everywhere.

Candidates are placing emphasis on meeting personal goals and over-achieving career goals. Having witnessed the decades their parents and grandparents put into careers with little personal satisfaction, today’s employees want more from their employers.

As it turns out, hiring an exceptional team member for your firm is no longer enough. It’s just the beginning. You’ve also got to implement retention strategies that actually work.

Firms love these retention strategies that actually work

Architecture and Design firms are at their best when every employee works as an integral part of the team. It’s important to keep a team together to get work done. Here are tips that can help you inspire and keep the teams you have:

• Be Transparent: Understand the challenges and successes your team is experiencing and let them in on what’s going on. The more transparent you are with your team, the more they feel a part of the team and are likely to stay. Hoarding information with not help you – rather, it will cause distrust. Transparent expectations, however, will inspire and motivate your team.
• Recognize Achievement: Don’t leave any room for speculation. Let your people know when they are doing a great job! Tell team members explicitly and clearly how important they are to you. Praise them in front of their coworkers and reward them with tangible tokens of your appreciation: tailored gifts, bonuses, or other benefits.
• Find Time Together Outside of Work: It is more important than ever to find times to gather and connect in today’s hybrid environment. Whether that looks like a happy hour, miniature golf, or something popular in your area depends on your corporate culture and team interests. The close-knit and tight team that works well together stays together.
• Really Listen to Your Team: Learning to listen well takes practice, but the benefits are astronomical. Nothing will inspire a team member more than when they see leadership implement an idea that they think will make a difference. Team members know that when their idea is implemented, you listen. In doing so, you’re building the kind of interest and ownership team members won’t want to leave.

Team-building tips to keep in mind

Team-building takes creativity and good judgment. Be sure that your activities:

• Accommodate for personal interests. Choose what the team likes. Some people won’t sing karaoke. Others might not like bowling.
• Relate to work. Find connections to the team’s goals. For example, a team that would benefit from risk-taking might try a flight simulator.
• Observe boundaries with dignity and respect. Avoid forcing a recovering alcoholic to go to happy hour or requiring that everyone retell a traumatic event.

You can inspire and keep your team by using retention strategies that actually work. With the current jobs market in flux, recruiters can tell you that there’s no better time to implement retention strategies than right now.

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