Finding the ideal talent for your tech team is the first stage of building a successful business. Once you’ve attracted top-performing candidates to your business, you also need to ensure you’re taking steps to keep them around. 

In today’s skill-short landscape, great employees have endless opportunities to switch employers and businesses whenever they’re unsatisfied with their current employment. That means learning how to retain your top talent is more important than ever. 

Staff members can choose to leave a business for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they feel they’re not getting enough satisfaction from their role, or they lose interest in the company’s vision for the future. 

Other times, employees may feel they don’t thrive in their current position due to issues with colleagues or managers. 

While the cost of replacing a lost employee can be significant, it’s worth remembering that anywhere up to 75% of turnover can be avoided. 

That is why it is critical to recognise the signs that your employee might be looking elsewhere. So in this post, we are going to share several signs to consider. 

1. They’re Avoiding Long-Term Projects and Growth 

When an employee decides they no longer want to work with a company, they often begin to reduce their involvement in long-term projects and strategies for development or growth. They stop envisioning a “future” with the business, which means they generally spend more of their time on short-term tasks and simply “checking boxes” on their to-do list. 

When an employee who previously volunteered for various challenging projects no longer raises their hand in meetings or delegates long-term work to other employees. In that case, this could signify they’re not planning on being around for long. 

Pay close attention to whether your team members still invest in their future with the company by agreeing to learning and development opportunities or discussing goals during one-on-one meetings. If your employees no longer see a future with you, change their perspective by offering them insights into progression opportunities, tech stack changes and developments they might miss out on if they leave. 

2. They Show Visible Signs of Stress

The World Health Organisation says “burnout” is a significant occupational phenomenon that has increased drastically in recent years. Burned-out and overwhelmed employees disengage from the workplace, show clear signs of exhaustion, and often look for alternative work opportunities. With this in mind, tracking your employee’s mental and physical health is important. And if you’re running a remote first team, then this becomes important to keep an eye out for. 

Pay attention to signs of exhaustion, like the heavy reliance on caffeine, yawning, or even a slower-than-usual pace in your team member’s workflow. 

The attitude of your employee might begin to change too. They may appear to be overwhelmingly negative towards other colleagues or attempt to isolate themselves from their peers, taking part in meetings less than usual. In some cases, they could even become more argumentative or aggressive. As mentioned, this is especially noticeable if you’re running remote teams. If you notice signs of burnout, speak to your staff member about how you can help them manage their workload. 

3. They’re Not as Creative or Intuitive as Usual 

When employees decide to leave a business, they stop actively contributing to its growth. You may notice some of your top performers who used to share ideas for development in previous meetings are now quieter when you’re asking for suggestions or advice. 

Rather than trying to solve problems with out-of-the-box ideas and collaboration, your team members may simply pass difficult tasks onto other employees. They could stop taking the initiative with their work and may focus on doing just the “bare minimum” to get by. 

A team member who’s occasionally quiet during business meetings isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm. However, if they seem to have lost their passion for helping the company grow, they may no longer feel inspired by your company’s mission or values. 

A good way to address this issue is to give your team members regular feedback and let them know how much you value their input. Employees are more likely to contribute when they feel recognised and rewarded for their hard work. 

4. They Focus More on External Networking 

Networking is important in building a thriving career as a tech professional. It’s not unusual for dedicated tech individuals to visit industry events and connect with other experts on social media, github or tech forums. However, there may be a problem if your team members focus more on external networking than on building internal relationships. 

If you notice your team members are disconnecting from their internal peers, failing to attend meetings, or spending less time chatting with colleagues either on or offline, check out their external networking efforts. If they’re heavily invested in adding new connections on LinkedIn and improving their personal brand, this could be a sign they’re looking for a way to branch into new opportunities. 

There are a few ways managers and supervisors can tackle this issue. Preventing staff from building external connections isn’t an option, but you can encourage your team to bond with their colleagues through team-building exercises and more consistent internal communication. 

5. Their Performance Begins to Suffer 

For an tech team member to thrive in their role, they need to do a lot more than just show up and follow the instructions given by a manager or squad leader. The best staff members are constantly pushing themselves to be their best. However, if your employee is disengaged and disinterested in their work, you may begin to notice performance issues. 

You might be able to notice more errors in their work, which they never used to make before. Or perhaps your customers are providing negative feedback concerning a specific employee’s behaviour. Other colleagues may even complain that one team member is no longer pulling their weight in their projects. 

If your staff member is no longer reaching their targets or making the right amount of effort, the first step shouldn’t always be to engage in disciplinary action. Speak to your team member and discover what’s happening behind the scenes. 

Don’t Lose Your Top Performers 

In today’s changing Tech landscape, issues like disengagement, burnout, and even “quiet quitting” are becoming increasingly common. Fortunately, if you can recognise these signs ahead of time, there are still things you can do to re-ignite your staff’s passion for your company and prevent them from seeking other employment options. 

Pay attention to your top performers, and make sure you’re not actively pushing them away.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

As almost every sector in the world today becomes more competitive, organisations are relying more than ever on the dedication and commitment of their employees. Without a passionate team of professionals, companies struggle to unlock innovation, outshine the competition, and satisfy their customers.

The problem is, increasing engagement can be a tricky task. Gallup's "State of the Global Workplace" report indicates that only around 13% of all hires are engaged worldwide, and an even larger number are actively "disengaged".

Employers in the technology industry need to ensure that their recruits are passionate about their roles and ready to come to the office every day with enthusiasm and energy. The following tested strategies can help to motivate even the most challenging of teams.

1. Set an Example

If the staff in your organisation can see that everyone from C-level executives to group supervisors are engaged at work, then they're more likely to show the same behaviour themselves.

By encouraging the leaders in your company to demonstrate the characteristics they want to see in everyone else, you begin to develop a "culture" of engagement, where commitment becomes a standard part of the status quo.

2. Show Your Appreciation

Saying "thank you" to someone in your team for a job well-done might seem like a simple thing, but it's frequently forgotten in larger organisations. Today's recruits crave acknowledgement from their peers and knowing that they're going to get a thumbs up from members of the management team can inspire your employees to work harder on their projects.

Statistics show that employees who have supportive managers are 67% more engaged, and 1.3 times more inclined to stick with the brand.

3. Be More Flexible

If you're hoping to bring more permanent staff onto your team in today's gig economy, then an easy solution might be to show candidates that you can deliver the flexibility they crave. Today's applicants aren't just looking for a good salary and benefits package when working with a specialist recruitment agency. People want a career that delivers happiness and fulfilment.

In the technology sector, it's much easier to offer some experts customisable schedules that allow them to do some work from the office, and some at home. Consider offering your Linux administrator the chance to telecommute part-time.

4. Hire for "Attitude" Not just Skills

Technology leaders need specific skills in their staff if they want to get ahead in the marketplace. However, hiring on skill sets alone might be a mistake, particularly if engagement is an issue for your brand.

Qualifications and hard IT skills won't always guarantee performance. Even the most impressive applicant can fail in your role if they don't have the right attitude or are a poor cultural fit. With that in mind, work with your recruitment agency to choose potential employees that demonstrate the right fit for your business needs.

5. Connect from Day One

From the moment you bring someone new into your business, start looking for ways to keep them inspired and engaged. This might mean coming up with a new and improved onboarding process that gets your recruits excited about working with you. After all, sitting through an old-fashioned PowerPoint presentation and filling out mountains of paperwork isn't always the best way to motivate your staff.

During the onboarding process, you can use a face-to-face interview to ask each professional what they hope to get during their time working with your company. This will help with the process of creating a career development plan at a later stage.

6. Provide Coaching and Training

Aspirational and ambitious experts are continually looking for new ways to progress in their IT career. They want to know that when they start working with their organisation, they're embracing an opportunity that will allow them to refine their skills and potentially take on more significant responsibilities in the future.

Companies that invest in the future of their employees are often the one that gets the most loyalty and engagement in return. What's more, as you provide more training opportunities to your staff, you'll also be able to tap into their new and improved skills when it comes to making your venture more competitive.

7. Ask for Feedback

Finally, the easiest way to determine whether your engagement initiative is having the right impact on your team is to talk to them about it. Employers often assume that they have to be the only one giving feedback in the work environment. However, your professionals can provide you with plenty of great insights into how can you can build your company culture, and make your environment more appealing to new talent.

Asking your team for feedback is a great way to show them that you care about their opinion, and ensure that you're making positive changes on behalf of your business.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

2020 is a year that for many is one to forget. COVID-19 has changed much and for many. For those fortunate to retain their role, there seems more than ever too much to do, and not enough time to do it in. Remote working, lack of human contact and juggling home life might mean there's a good chance that at some point in 2020, you found yourself feeling overwhelmed, overworked and over-stressed. And "zoomed" out!

With 2021 fast approaching, it may be the perfect time to take a step back and reflect.

The more you understand about the threat of overwhelm, the more you can take productive action to handle it.

1. Plan and Organise

Perhaps the easiest way to stop career demands from getting on top of you is to make sure that you're prepared for almost anything.

While using your precious time for planning can seem counterproductive, it's helpful to put a strategic spin on your scrambled schedule. Whether you need a plan to update your skills or you need to figure out how to manage your next big project, merely writing things down and deciding which order you're going to approach them in, might be enough to make your life a lot easier.

Prepping your schedule forces you to put things into perspective, and determine exactly what you need to get done today, tomorrow, and this week, as well as which tasks you can delegate elsewhere.

2. Ask for Help When You Need It

In a world where every company seems to be short on technology skills, you might notice that your manager has started to pile more responsibilities on you than you know how to handle.

Remember, it's easy for managers to lose perspective when they have a lot of goals to achieve, and not enough skilled employees to help them reach success.

Telling your boss that you're having problems handling everything you've got on your plate may cause your employer to sit up and take notice of just how much weight you have on your shoulders. Remember, don't just complain about the workload, think about how you might be able to make your own life easier.

For instance, can you delegate less specialist tasks, or improve your productivity with new technology?

3. Take a Break and Escape the Home Office

Staring at a computer screen for several hours a day can be overwhelming, even at home. If simple lines of code are starting to look like nonsense even to you, this indicates that you need to give yourself, and your brain a break. When stress levels are high, it's hard to concentrate on anything that's happening in your professional environment.

While it's easy to convince yourself that you ‘just’ need to buckle down and push through, the truth is that giving yourself a few minutes of fresh air can help you to accomplish tasks faster, and more accurately than you would if you just kept typing.

Walk around the office, grab a glass of water, or simply stand up and move around for a moment. This will give your mind a chance to reboot itself, then get back to the task at hand.

4. Know When to Say No!

Whatever your role, there's a good chance you're always looking for ways to demonstrate your value to the organisation you work for. However, that doesn't mean piling work onto your to-do list until you burn out!

While the concept of saying "no" to your manager might be enough to fill you with a sense of dread, it's important to remember that you're only human, and he or she understands that fact. If you can give a good reason as to why you can't do something, then they'll probably do what they can to assign the project elsewhere or make the task easier for you to handle.

5. Try Something New

Finally, if no matter how much you ask for help you continuously find yourself feeling stressed and exhausted at work, then you might need to re-think your career path, or it may just be that you need to work with a company that shares the same values and expectations as you.

When searching for a new position, remember to keep an eye out for signs of a culture that could fit your working style. There are plenty of review sites available online today, and specialist recruitment agencies that can help you to discover the opportunity that's the right fit for you.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

The modern workplace is changing. Today's technology professionals expect more than an excellent salary and benefits package; they want a professional environment that's challenging, nurturing, and engaging.

As the technology world grows increasingly complicated, the demand for specialists in everything from coding to networking has increased. This means that tech experts have their pick of employment opportunities while growing businesses must implement strategies to attract, maintain, and motivate their staff.

The problem is, as the workforce takes on more Millennial employees, traditional methods of motivation might not be enough to keep your team productive and satisfied. In fact,only just over 32% of people feel engaged at work. Since your tech talent is the key to happy customers, innovative products, and new ideas, it's important to think about how you can keep these unique individuals happy.

1. Listen and Adapt

Every recruit you bring into your company has different ambitions and skills, particularly in this multi-generational era. To motivate diverse people, you'll need to start by listening to their hopes, goals, and aspirations.

While some of your team might want endless opportunities to explore new technology, others might want to develop particular skills to an advanced level.

It’s critical to have one-to-one meetings with your technology hires as part of the onboarding process. There, you can create a 1-3 year plan for growth, where you focus on giving each employee the resources they need to thrive.

2. Embrace New Technology

Your tech specialists chose their career because they love the industry. One of the easiest ways to motivate people with a passion for all-things IT is to make sure that you always embrace new opportunities to explore technology that's relevant to your business.

Consider asking your tech team to get together once every few months and make suggestions on which new software or hardware you might benefit from. Alternatively, you can send individual IT experts to conferences and networking events where they can try out the latest gizmo’s, software or applications.

Remember, once you've decided to embrace something new, you'll need to put training strategies in place to ensure everyone from your engineers to your sales groups knows how to use your resources to their advantage.

3. Provide Opportunities for Growth

All employees, no matter their skills, appreciate opportunities for expansion and promotion. However, since the technology sector is continually evolving, IT professionals can be drawn more to business development opportunities in other organisations chances than most.

Managers must work alongside their staff to find out exactly what they want to achieve in the future. While some recruits will prefer to focus on technical work than embracing a managerial position, others will want to build their soft skills alongside their digital talents.

Providing your team with plenty of chances to grow and excel in their preferred areas can go a long way to keeping them motivated. Remember, you can provide opportunities outside of the workplace too, by helping professionals to sign up for classes or courses that interest them.

4. Offer Plenty of Recognition

No matter what technology role you're hoping to fill, you can expect that your candidate will be looking for a workplace that offers plenty of respect and recognition. IT experts, particularly those from the Gen Y and Gen X generation crave praise and feedback for their work.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways for your company to celebrate success. Depending on the preferences of your new hire, you can publish a monthly newsletter where you give staff a quick shout out. On the other hand, you might design a culture where executives frequently interact with the team to give them comments on their work.

Take the time to find out what kind of recognition your people respond best to, then make sure you keep on top of it.

5. Create a Flexible Environment

Technology-focused professionals are some of the most passionate people you'll ever meet. While they give 100% at work, they also spend their free time brushing up on their knowledge and keeping up with the latest trends.

However, if you want these specialists to really thrive in their new role, then you need to give them the freedom to build and expand their skills. Sometimes, this means merely delivering chances for in-house training, while in other cases, it will mean putting flexible work schedules in place.

Tech employees know better than most how to make the most of remote working software and applications. If your staff can do the same job at home that they would do from your office, consider allowing them to choose their own workplace every now and again. This option for mobile working may both motivate your team, and encourage them to innovate more on behalf of your business too!

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net

Finding the ideal IT experts for your team isn't always a simple process. As larger numbers of IT professionals choose contracting services over full-time employment, the skills shortage has become a serious problem for employers, particularly in high demand areas such as DevOps.

Since your people are key to your success, it's important to make sure you have a strategy in place to retain your most valuable staff for as long as possible. A "Stay" interview could be the perfect way to improve employee retention and reduce turnover. Rather than trying to figure out what went wrong after your employees have already left, "stay" interviews allow you to find and reinforce positive elements in your workplace while addressing any triggers that could be sending your talent elsewhere.

Why Are Stay Interviews So Effective?

While learning why employees leave your organisation is important, it's just as crucial to understand why they stay. Stay interviews give business owners and leaders the chance to make important changes to retain current team members, by offering insights into what makes your people feel happy and productive.

By actively working to create an environment that nurtures your staff, you can make sure that the people you find with your specialist recruitment agency stay with you for as long as possible. After all, people prefer to work for companies that understand and respect their professional needs. With a stay interview, you can discover the reasons why experts want to remain within your team, such as:

• A strong company culture
• Positive relationships between employees and employers
• Opportunities for development and growth
• Feelings of appreciation and acknowledgement

All you need to do is make sure you're asking the right questions.

Question 1: What do you enjoy about your job?

Employees are more likely to show loyalty to a career they enjoy, than one that makes them feel bored or unsatisfied. Show your team members that you value their job satisfaction and by asking them what part of their role gives them the most pleasure. This will help you to determine how you can distribute tasks in the future according to specific skill sets and preferences.

Question 2: What does a good day at work look like to you?

Like the previous question, this inquiry asks your employee to specify what they imagine to be a good work day. This will help your team members to focus on their positive experiences of the different kinds of work and projects they have been involved in while working with your company.

This will also give you insight and guidance on how you can adjust work strategies to suit the needs and ideals of your team.

Question 3: Do you feel your skills are fully used in your current role?

When digital experts search for a career, they look for an environment where their unique talents can thrive. If your team members feel that their experience or background is being under-utilised, then they're unlikely to get much satisfaction out of their job. Asking this question will help you to make sure your staff has the chance to really let their skills shine.

Question 4: What would fully utilising your skills look like?

If you have team members who seem a little demotivated or disengaged and you are not sure why it could be that they feel their skills are not being used to the full. This is where you'll need to dig a little deeper to find out what talents they'd like the opportunity to use further. Ask your team member to describe what the perfect role would look like to them, and explore how you can adapt their responsibilities accordingly

Question 5: Are you recognised for the work you do?

All team members appreciate the recognition from their employers. The right amount and type of motivational feedback will help employees to feel valued when you acknowledge their efforts and contributions.  Frequent recognition is crucial to maintaining high levels of employee retention and satisfaction.

Question 6: What kind of recognition would you like to receive, and how often?

Different types of professionals appreciate different kinds of recognition from their leaders. Asking your "stay" interview candidate what sort of praise they'd like to receive, and how frequently they'd like to hear from you, is a great way to make sure that you're providing the right level of support.

Question 7: Do you feel listened to and respected?

Even if your employees feel that you recognise the work they do, they may not feel respected. It's important for companies in any industry to listen to the ideas and thoughts of their key staff members, and create a strategy for strong internal communication. Opening the doors for open communication throughout the business can help to foster improved creativity and innovation, which is crucial to the technology sector.

Question 8: What kind of support would help you to excel in your career?

Finally, it's important to make sure that your team feel confident and competent in their roles. By asking this "stay" interview question, you'll be able to decide whether you're placing too much pressure on certain employees, or distributing work unevenly. You'll also be able to discern whether your organisation could benefit from additional learning facilities or opportunities for skill development.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net