Janet Brewer is CPO of Arcfield, a national security engineering consultancy.
Amid social and economic turbulence throughout the nation, the job market is experiencing a similar pattern of instability. However, one trend is clear — the U.S. needs a vast, talented workforce in STEM-related fields to ensure economic strength, national security and global competitiveness.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, as of October 2022 there were more than 16 million skilled technical jobs requiring an associate degree or higher, and the number of jobs requiring substantial STEM expertise has grown nearly 34% over the past decade.
As HR leaders, we must remember that staffing shortages are not just related to recruitment and hiring challenges— employee churn and turnover play an equally large role. As reported by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the national average turnover rate was 47.2% in 2021.
Unfortunately, the number of qualified candidates in the talent pool is largely beyond a CPO’s control and is subject to a litany of long-term factors, such as education and technology. However, we can take actions to improve our organizations’ ability to retain existing talent.
When it comes to retention policies, there are no silver bullets, or one size fits all solutions. It’s imperative to discover your employees' values and needs. After all, any organization is simply a collection of real people, each with their own individual strengths, motivations and contributions to bring to the organization. Fortunately, there are certain strategies and tactics that can help any CHRO or CPO connect with their people and boost retention rates, such as investing in the best possible tools for your workforce, cultivating a positive company culture and incorporating employee feedback.
Even if your organization has high retention rates, it’s crucial to be proactive before the tide begins to shift. The relationship between managers and their team members is critical to developing and retaining talent. Hosting events such as retention workshops for people managers, where open dialogue is encouraged, can help managers better understand best practices and techniques to apply with their teams, and determine what is working well and where changes may be beneficial.
These workshops are not only useful for practical decision-making but can go a long way in terms of improving overall morale, for both managers and employees. Managers also want to perform at their best, so these workshops give them tools to enhance their leadership skills as well.
With only 28% of employees feeling fully connected to their company's purpose, according to a PwC survey from 2019, it's evident that employers must act to foster a deeper sense of company pride. As a mid-sized company, every employee is critical to Arcfield’s success and can directly impact the company’s growth to advance our mission. When we were developing our corporate credo, instead of defining it at the corporate level and communicating it down, we included our workforce every step of the way.
From the images to the words, they had a voice in the final product. The involvement of all employees in companywide decisions is a powerful expression of empowerment and inclusivity. As a result, employees are more likely to take pride in the organization that they represent. That said, as every HR leader knows, you should never ask for input and feedback if you don’t intend to use it, as this will undermine the effort.
It’s critical to set a tone of transparency and empathy immediately. At Arcfield, our CEO and I attend and welcome each class of new hires every single Monday at new employee orientation (NEO). While it may be a bit out of the ordinary for a typical NEO agenda, getting to know our newest colleagues, sharing how their role fits into the vision for the company, and setting them up for success from day one is a top priority for us.
Another practice we’ve found to successfully boost morale is our weekly “Good News Friday” email series. Direct from our CEOs mailbox, he shares a few stories of success from across the company to recognize our colleagues’ great work. While these may seem like small acts, they add up rapidly, reflect our culture and can substantially improve employee experiences.
A prevalent theme throughout the many retention workshops and focus groups we lead here at Arcfield is the importance of community, connection and company culture. In our modern remote or hybrid workplaces, it’s logical that people are seeking an increased sense of community with their peers and coworkers. We also recognize that the best innovations are generated when great minds come together. Rarely are exceptional breakthroughs or discoveries made independently, but rather, a range of perspectives and ideas are required to truly think outside the box.
Our organization helps government agencies solve some of the most complex national security challenges they face, and therefore it’s vital that our employees' function at a high level and consistently deliver exceptional results. While many of our employees work remotely, the majority cannot. We are also dispersed across times zones throughout the U.S. and Canada. Regardless of where employees work, collaboration is a prerequisite to stellar accomplishments, and must be prioritized.
Technology can be a powerful tool to help your workforce feel connected with one another and ensure they’re able to successfully collaborate. Employees should be equipped with the best possible technology to do their job, wherever in the world that may be. For instance, we launched a scalable and mobile-enabled intranet tool that allows employees to easily access company information and streamline internal communications. The platform, known as The Arcway, has a 97% adoption rate.
We’ve also had tremendous success with our digital learning management system; it boasts a return learner rate of over 70%. One initiative which epitomizes many of the recommended retention strategies is an interactive, online rewards and recognition tool known as Arcfield Appreciate. Twenty percent of our people use Arcfield Appreciate to recognize colleagues on a daily or weekly basis.
Above all, it’s paramount that the HR community continue to share their successes, and their setbacks, so we can all continue to learn from one another and improve the professional lives of our communities. As HR leaders, we have tremendous influence and can significantly enhance the daily lives of so many people. While it’s important to keep business processes moving smoothly, and to retain employees amid global staffing concerns, initiatives to improve retention go well beyond their foundational purpose. They have the power to truly help people have more meaningful experiences at work, enhance their career, and cultivate lasting relationships with their colleagues.
