So you’ve hired stellar UX talent, which is a significant feat in itself. Now you face the next monster challenge: keeping them around. Here, we discuss four practices that can help you retain your hires:
1. Make a good first impression
The first step in securing your talent is by giving them a good onboarding experience. In other words, make the most of your first impression.
“All the recent studies suggest that new employees determine within the first few months of employment whether or not they made a good decision,” Herb Gosewisch, partner at U.S. Alliance Partners, an employee engagement and sustainability practices consultancy, told Dice Insights.
According to Dice Insights, this means having a company identity and immediately embedding new employees into that culture. Julie Maurer, president of SilverLine Consulting, told Forbes that having that identity helps you successfully recruit new and long lasting members to your team. Good first impressions also mean providing your employees the right training and tools so they know what’s expected of them and see what they can gain from the job.
2. Communicate efficiently
Nothing feels more frustrating than a disconnect between a manager and employee. It’s even more of a challenge in a field like UX, where communication and connection are key aspects of the job. Entrepreneur explains that in order to retain your talent, you need to make their experience “as seamless as possible.” This means clearly giving them all the information they need to move forward.
Offering one-on-one meetings and mentorship makes employees feel valued and stick around longer.3. Offer mentorship
Holding onto your talent means make them feel like they can learn and grow in the position and, most importantly, that they feel cared for within your company. One of the best ways to do that is by offering some sort of mentorship.
Jonathan Lovatt-Young, head of service and experience design at Tribal Worldwide, told UX Switch that he had zero turnover in one year by allowing his team access to his time and insight. He holds personal one-on-one meetings where he recommends reading material, discusses career paths and ambitions and offers advice to help them improve their craft.
Alex Khurgin, director of learning and creative at Grovo, a leader in microlearning, told Entrepreneur that this kind of attention to your team can also increase productivity.
“Create an environment where employees seek to learn for themselves the things that they want to be better at, and you’ll create a more successful workforce,” he said.
It follows that if your staff members feel valued, they’ll be more likely to stick around.
4. Make it worthwhile
One of the biggest challenges of talent retention is competition. If you aren’t offering the best experience to your talent, they’ll find it in another employer. You’ll need to make sure you’re providing the right perks and benefits so your team doesn’t go looking for them elsewhere.
Trenton Moss, the founder and CEO of Webcredible, told UX Switch that he offers his staff “unlimited holiday days” to make working for him a more attractive option. With this program, employees are allowed to take any amount of paid vacation days as long as the right productivity goals are met. Moss told the site that he’s seen increased creativity and happiness in his employees because of it.
“Improve the work-life balance in your company.”
Dice Insights pointed out that offering these perks and assessing your employees’ stress levels prevents them from burning out and quitting. Dice also emphasizes improving the work-life balance in your company.
When you find the right UX talent, you’ll want to secure it for as long as possible. These members of your team will need to know the ins and outs of your company, particularly your customer base. These requirements don’t leave much room for turnover. If you follow these tips, you’ll be on a path to retaining these employees, making them feel valued and understood.