𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐭 – 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲.
A warm thank you to Friederike Kulik for her inspiring introduction, and to all participants of the 𝐈𝐁𝐏 / 𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬’ 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 for an exceptionally insightful session.
In the breakout groups, we explored 𝟗 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 where retention is at stake – and how better planning and leadership can help:
1️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 – Higher salaries attract talent. Solutions: strengthen culture, enrich jobs, tailor benefits.
2️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 – Declining business or brand weakens confidence. Solutions: invest in professional development and engaging work.
3️⃣ 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 – Travel, on-call duties, seasonality. Solutions: fixed hours, bonuses, incentives, leadership addressing workload peaks.
4️⃣ 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 – High worker numbers, lack of leadership, fast scaling. Solutions: fair pay, mentoring, tailored schedules, career paths.
5️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐲 – Proximity and compensation gaps. Solutions: improve benefits, training, and work flexibility.
6️⃣ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 – Limited leadership roles and mentoring. Solutions: flexible roles, rotational programs, leadership development.
7️⃣ 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Cuts and burnout during financial pressure. Solutions: honest communication, ongoing evaluations, protect strong performers.
8️⃣ 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 (𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬) – Heavy reliance on outside staff. Solutions: build agility, formal training, personal development.
9️⃣ 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 – High incident rates reduce trust. Solutions: gamification and a proactive safety culture.

💡 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: Retention challenges are diverse, but many can be addressed with 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

📊 The picture below summarises the balance between 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 (pay, hours, job security) and 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 (leadership, culture, growth, belonging).