In today's competitive job market, employers are faced with the challenge of curbing turnover, and stemming poaching from competitors.

Compounding these problems is the fact that the Baby Boomer generation is readying for retirement, which will create vast vacancies within the workforce. How, given these challenges in staffing, do companies retain talent? This article explores how Modern-Day Technology Leaders, their managers, and company HR representatives promote professional development within their organizations, and what their best practices are for coping with staff fluctuations.

RETENTION THROUGH OPEN COMMUNICATION

Based in McLean, VA, Booz Allen Hamilton is a major supplier of technology and strategy-consulting services that help companies improve their business processes. The company employs more than 17,000 workers at about 75 offices internationally.

Errol Baker, an associate, has been at Booz Allen for 12 years, and currently serves as a program manager responsible for ensuring proper management of staff and financial resources to meet client needs. Baker, who holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology, is passionate about his career in engineering, specifically in developing solutions that address the challenges faced by his clients. A large factor in developing these solutions is open lines of communication, a skill Baker uses to make sure that his supervisors are aware of what he contributes to the firm. "Open lines of communication, and having a good relationship with your supervisor, are good ways to keep him or her abreast of your skills and accomplishments," he says.

Corey Shore, a senior associate and Errol Baker's supervisor, has been with Booz Allen for two years. Shore oversees three main areas: client project delivery, business development, and internal team leadership. As a supervisor of more than 50 consultants, with responsibility for recruiting, mentoring, and professional development, Shore understands first-hand that investment in and retention of employees is paramount.

When asked to describe a strategy for attracting and retaining technology leaders such as Baker, Shore stresses the importance of open communications. He says, "We attract talented employees by providing detailed descriptions of the work we do and its impact on our clients, and by giving them a chance to meet team members at various levels. We also emphasize the growth potential for all employees of Booz Allen—the firm is growing at a healthy rate, and that spells opportunity for each and every one of us." Booz Allen's numbers speak for the company's track record. With more than $3 billion in annual revenues, it's no wonder why it is one of the world's premier management consulting firms.

Shore also adds that two-way communication is a key to implementing the firm's best practices for holding on to today's top talent. "I find that the most effective retention strategy is ensuring that each employee is challenged and interested in his or her work, and has a clear path to advancement," he explains. "This requires us to not lose touch with people when they're very busy or working at a client site. We work very hard to achieve balance between the staffing needs of our various projects, and the desired career paths of our employees," Shore adds.

As part of this effort, Booz Allen encourages employees to spend at least 40 hours each year in instructor-led training, pays for annual memberships in professional associations and societies, and supports employees in achieving professional certifications. Booz Allen also recognizes employees through a well developed awards program and professional development framework that establishes a consistent set of professional competencies by employee level. Internally, the company copes with staffing changes by communicating the evolving company strategy, and by providing context to link organizational goals to the everyday work that's being done with current and prospective clients.

When asked what can be done to limit turnover, Shore points to the inherent value of professional development. He says, "There is strong market demand for people with valuable technical skills, and anyone with strong skills and work ethic has opportunities to seek a short-term compensation boost by shifting jobs. We find that some who leave for short term financial gains come back in a year or two, after realizing that the long-term professional development potential Booz Allen offers is not found in every firm out there in the market place."

Keary Paranis, a senior consultant, has been supporting the firm's clients at U.S. Forces Korea for more than two years.  A technical subject matter expert for melding NetOps strategies and tactical processes to technology, Paranis served five years in the U.S. Army as a technician, repairing communication encryption devices before joining Booz Allen.  For him, a career in engineering allows him to satisfy both his greatest challenge and interest—leveraging technology to meet important real-world needs. "Technological advances sometimes appear irrelevant to business needs, because they are misunderstood or misapplied," Paranis says. "I find it challenging and rewarding when business people are as excited as I am about technology, because they realize how it can help them. I overcome this challenge by better understanding business needs, and communicating effectively," he explains.

Paranis notes that his success can be partly attributed to working with and learning from others. "My greatest accomplishments are attributed to a highly collaborative team environment," he states. His strategies are based on strong communication skills - namely, listening, speaking, and writing abilities. "The first step is to listen well and understand what sparks your supervisor's interests. The next step is to speak and write well enough to demonstrate your abilities. Smart engineers tend to communicate extraneous detail, and miss the big picture. Show your supervisor that you understand the big picture as you communicate," Paranis advises. When asked what he considers important in his career, Paranis prioritizes professional development above monetary compensation. "I value professional and personal self actualization.  Financial rewards are important, and will come with growth."

Paul Han, the job manager for the client delivery contract for the Communications Division of U.S. Forces Korea, is Keary Paranis's supervisor. Han has been in this role for three months, and is responsible for the financial management of the contract, task delegation and tracking, client interface management, and client support, as well as business development, team member professional development, and overall administrative oversight.

Han agrees that two-way communication is important to staff retention. "Our strategic model involves providing superior client service for maintaining and winning new businesses, to offer greater opportunities to current employees by providing avenues for increased responsibility and management opportunities," Han states. Recognizing that there is a bidding war for today's technology leaders, he also points out one more strategy for keeping talented employees. "To retain the best talent, companies must offer fair compensation, effective role models, training, and most importantly, opportunity," he says.

MAPPING THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

Convergys Corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, is a global leader in business process outsourcing services, including billing, customer care, and human resources administration. The company has more than 65,700 employees.

Wynndel Burns, a senior manager within Data Center Services, was recently promoted to his role after several years as a senior manager for the company's collaborative systems' architecture and operations. He is responsible for the organization's systems management for the Asia Pacific offices, and for performance metrics reporting for the majority of client-facing and internal systems.

Burns recognizes that employee retention is important to the success of the organization. "I try to map opportunities for my team members to excel in areas where they have professional or personal interests that are important to the organization." This "win-win" situation between the company and employee has led to greater employee satisfaction, which, in turn, has led to increased retention.

In addition to developing employees through coaching, training initiatives, and recognition programs, Convergys also uses their Coaching Index, which "defines the important elements of coaching, and engages managers and employees actively in the coaching process." Burns explains "both managers and employees benefit by providing productive feedback to improve the performance of those who are coaching, and those who are being coached."  

As for managing change within staff levels, Convergys espouses the use of affinity groups to encourage networking and to create comfort zones for employees within the organization. "These groups allow individuals with common personal and professional interests to share their experiences, and they also provide an internal network of advocates," Burns says. Another strategy for retaining top talent is to advertise how a career at the company benefits not only the employee, but his or her family as well. "Managers need to support professional development and challenging assignments, while impressing upon these people the overall benefits of a career with the company for them and their families," Burns mentions.

THE HUMAN RESOURCES PERSPECTIVE

International Business Machines (IBM), based in Armonk, NY, is the top provider of computer products and services, including mainframes, servers, storage systems, peripheral equipment, software, and semiconductors. The company has more than 366,000 employees.

Ron Glover, Vice President of Global Workforce Diversity within Human Resources, holds worldwide responsibility for workforce diversity. Glover sees a key a strong commitment to diversity as a key to retaining top talent. "We've done a lot of work to build a culture that respects differences, where employees are accustomed to working with people who are different from them, who represent any nationality, gender, physical status, or sexual orientation," he says. "When people engage around these differences, it leads to innovation, not conflict. Our leadership sees this as the road to becoming a globally integrated enterprise. Those organizations who haven't figured that out will have a hard time if they can't manage those differences," Glover adds.

Another element of this strategy for Glover is keeping a close eye on demographic shifts in the talent pool. He uses this data to build programs to attract individuals, and improve the number and capabilities of that talent.  "In the U.S., people perceived to be minorities will constitute half the population by 2050," he explains. "We recognize that change in demographics, and we work to build relationships with minority communities to increase the number of people from those groups in the overall talent pool. We also take into account the impact of shifts - such as the rapid pace of retirement by the baby boom generation - and put together programs to address such changes."

Patricia Lewis-Burton, Vice President of Human Resources, Global Technology Services, at IBM, adds to Glover's perspective of reaching out to affiliate professional and social groups to make sure employees network with meaningful groups within the workplace. "We connect our employees to mentors and professional communities that help to support them in their career progression, and enable them to stay connected to other professionals who have similar skills and interests," she says.

In terms of handling change, such as turnover, Lewis-Burton agrees that two-way communication is a key ingredient in the company's recipe for success. "Since the environment that IBM operates in is a very dynamic one, we always have to be prepared for change," she explains. "As business needs evolve, we must be able to adapt to new and changing requirements. We try to ensure that our employees understand the need for change, and we work hard to prepare them for change through our communications processes, and through direct involvement of our leaders and managers, who are most often the individuals who translate the need for change at a more localized level for our employees."

CONCLUSION

The professionals interviewed for this article agree that one of the most important incentives that an employer can provide to retain top talent is a challenging and satisfying work environment - one that fosters communication between workers, managers, and professional groups within the industry. These strategies involving communication, compensation, and professional development can have a significant effect on boosting morale and decreasing turnover, as well as increase in productivity, efficiency, and profitability.