How to stop employee turnover at tech companies

The findings of The Achievers Workforce Institute’s February 2021 survey are sobering. Fifty-two percent of fully-employed employees said they intend to look for a new job this year, up from 35% in 2020. These numbers are especially concerning for the software technology industry who, according to LinkedIn’s most recent study found the industry has the highest turnover rate of 13.2% rate. This figure can be as high as 21.7% for embedded software engineers.

I worked for two fast-growing technology companies and experienced the negative side of growth first-hand. One day, as I was getting a cup of coffee, I noticed a new face preparing her own cup. Her affixed ID badge indicated she too worked there, so I concluded she had just joined our team.

“Hi, I’m Dave, I work in marketing. You must be new.” I smiled and welcomed our new addition.

With a half-hearted chuckle, she replied, “I’ve been working here for four months.” I could tell this was probably not the first belated welcome conversation she experienced in our quick-growing firm. I never saw her again, which left me to conclude she moved on to a different, more welcoming, nicer company.

Success can be a painful journey for your team members. Companies lose their heart as communication and cohesiveness faulters through rapid growth. Your longest and most loyal employees begin to abandon ship because they feel excluded or no longer heard.

A study by The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that on average it costs a company 6 to 9 months of an employee's salary to replace him or her. For an employee making $60,000 per year, that comes out to $30,000 - $45,000 in recruiting and training costs.

I want to give leaders a look behind the scenes at what goes wrong, and how to fix it. The fact that it takes an average of 51 days to fill an IT role in the US, you simply can’t afford to ignore the turnover. While compensation matters, it isn’t the top factor when it comes to retention. Work-life balance and recognition both rate higher than compensation for retaining top talent.

The Nice Method includes three pillars to leaving you with happier and more connected employees, they are Hear Your Team, Avoid The Wrecks, and Life Outside Your Walls.

When you hear your team members actively listening, you avoid the wrecks that cause churn. When you take the time to bring your people together and you consider life outside your walls, you humanize your team which makes them happier and more connected. Happier teams have longer tenures, so you can stop wasting money on recruiting and training.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found 4 million people quit their jobs in April 2021 — the biggest spike on record. The Nice Method will help you avoid being a part of similar future statistics.

If you’re a fast-growing tech company and you’re experiencing challenges with employee retention you are probably getting one of the Nice Method three pillars wrong.

Step 1. Hear Your Team 👈

Step 2. Avoid the Wrecks

Step 3. Life Outside Your Walls

Be Nice to People. Rivers -> Radio -> Podcast

“I got through! I got through!"

Few things were more exciting in the 1980s than calling your favourite radio station and getting through. I wish I could remember why I had called 1050 CHUM in Toronto, but there I was on hold about to speak live on the air.

The host of the morning show was radio broadcasting legend, Tom Rivers. Rivers was like Toronto’s own Johnny Fever from WKRP.

CHUM’s Creative Director, Larry MacInnis described Tom, “At heart, he was a mischievous twelve-year-old boy in the body of a six-foot-ten, four hundred-pound man-child – a heavyweight talent in every sense of the word.”

I suppose we connected well because I was around twelve-years-old at the time.

After saying something on air, Tom graciously invited me down to the station for a tour. I am willing to bet that 99% of Toronto kids were never given the same opportunity.

I begged my mum, who quickly gave in and scheduled our meeting. Together we travelled down to the popular Top-40 station in her denim blue, 1978 AMC Gremlin. The car even had a 1050 CHUM sticker affixed to the rear window like most cars in Toronto back then.

Tom Rivers and Me and 1050 CHUM radio in Toronto

I remember being mesmerized as I watched Tom in action behind the microphone and cart machines. His kindness and talent for broadcasting must have left an impression on me. In 1995, I graduated from Seneca College having studied radio and television broadcasting. Naturally, I majored in radio.

My love for radio led me to an internship on an internationally syndicated blues radio show called Blues North, hosted by the wonderful Big John Small. My career in radio teetered off after several attempts at getting a job at radio stations in Toronto. It was simply too competitive a market, and I didn’t have the professional drive or networking knowledge in me quite yet.

From Radio to Podcasting

My passion for broadcasting led me to begin podcasting in 2005. We nearly had the first parenting podcast, Two Boobs and a Baby. We were the second parenting podcast after Paige and Gretchen’s Mommycast. I have had several podcasts since then, with NBN Radio ADHD Wise Squirrels being my most recent podcasting endeavor. (updated 12/14/23)

I am thankful for how nice a guy Tom Rivers was. I am a firm believer that the kindness we share today can inspire others tomorrow. Just ask my daughter, who now proudly bears those call letters of yesteryear.

1050+Chum+T-Shirt

You can do this too.

From mentoring to giving a kid a chance, consider how your kindness can help inspire future generations. Blues artist Albert Collins was another legend who did this for me; that story led to me interning for a national blues radio show! Going above and beyond in the smallest of ways may seem simple, but these gestures are like waves that leave ripples in the water for decades.

On Washing Your Hands

I’ve been washing my hands much more often and with greater intent lately. I hope the same applies to you.

The other day I discovered a fun tool to help reinforce the practice of washing your hands. A big shout out goes to William Gibson who created Wash Your Lyrics.

Before dinner, I asked my family to name their favorite songs. I plugged each song title into Wash Your Lyrics and printed a mini-poster to refer to as they scrubbed up. I’ve included The Tragically Hip’s “Bobcaygeon” here as an example.

Some Thoughts on Washing Your Hands

But seriously folks…

As I was cleaning my hands the other day something occurred to me. I pictured who I was washing my hands for. I imagined my kids and Heather. My friends, family, neighbors, our community, and perhaps even humanity. Oh, and myself too.

As the soapy suds dripped down the drain from my fingers, I began to take deep breaths. In deeply for a few seconds, out deeply for a few seconds. I looked in the mirror and pictured the people in my life and how much I love them.

Who are you washing your hands for?

5 Must Hear Podcasts about Presentations. Are you subscribed?

As a keynote speaker, I am always working to improve my craft and my business. I find plugging peers into my ears via podcasts is a fantastic way to learn new methodologies of the craft of public speaking.

Even if you are not striving to grow a speaking business, you must admit that you can always improve how you communicate. Perhaps you will have a presentation to deliver to your board, an all-hands meeting for your staff, a pitch to investors, a wedding toast or eulogy. You can always improve how you communicate by learning from master communicators.

5 Must Subscribe Podcasts to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Steal the Show podcast with Michael Port

Steal the Show with Michael Port

Every day, there are moments when you must persuade, inform, and motivate others effectively. Each of these moments requires you in some way, to play a role to heighten the impact of your words, and manage your emotions and nerves. Every interaction is a performance whether you’re speaking up in a meeting, pitching a client, or walking into a job interview. Michael’s great voice and inspiring delivery will keep you hooked from the very first episode. Web | Apple Podcasts

Standing Ovation with Jay Baer

Standing Ovation with Jay Baer

Standing Ovation, hosted by keynote speaker and emcee Jay Baer is where the very best public speakers reveal the secrets behind their greatest successes. In each episode, listeners hear a legendary on-stage story from a world-class speaker, and then hear Jay and his guest dissect and discuss that story. How are the best on-stage stories (some of them decades old) found, written, polished, and changed? When do they work best? When do they bomb? Web | Apple Podcasts

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The Speaker Lab with Grant Baldwin

Grant Baldwin from The Speaker Lab podcast shares speaking business tactics, tips, and strategies from his own experience, case studies, and interviewing the experts. Whether you're just getting started trying to get your first booking or you're a veteran speaker looking to build and grow your business, this is for you. Web | Apple Podcasts

The Freenoter with Tamsen and Tom Webster

The Freenoter Podcast with Tamsen and Tom Webster

Introducing The Freenoter! There are lots of resources out there on how to become a paid speaker or keynoter, but what if you speak to build your business, as a FREEnoter? Each week, join Tamsen and Tom Webster as they cover all the angles of how to profit from speaking for free. If you are looking to grow your business from the stage--without "selling from the stage," this is the show for you. We will cover EVERY aspect of building your business through speaking, and even share a different craft cocktail recipe every week, just because. Web | Apple Podcasts

Good One with Jesse David Fox

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(NSFW) Each week, a comedian will play one of their jokes and then break it down with Vulture.com Senior Editor Jesse David Fox. The is a podcast about - well - jokes, and the people who tell them. Web | Apple Podcasts





Each of these stellar shows will teach you the ins and outs of the speaking business. You will learn countless performance techniques and business development skills that will help you next time you are delivering a presentation or a speech.

Let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

A Two-Sided Ball and Emotional Intelligence

The Two Colored Ball Experiment

A Two-Sided Ball and Emotional Intelligence

The experiment consists of showing a two-color-sided ball to a two or three-year-old child. Let’s say one side is red and the other is green. You sit on the floor across from the child and rapidly spin the ball, so the child sees the different colors. After spinning the ball, you place it between each of you with only the red side facing the child and the green side facing you.

When you ask the child what color they see. They will correctly say “red”. When you ask what color am I seeing, they will also answer “red”.

The child can’t take the role of the other. They can’t see it through your eyes. They are seeing the world in a completely different way. As they get older (around six or seven-years-old) they will recognize both colors and answer correctly. They will understand that you are seeing the world from a different perspective.

Ego-centrism, Group-centrism, World-centrism

As you age you can see the world with different perspectives and ethical development.

Young children see the world in an ego-centric manner. Egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between self and others. They don’t assume or understand any perspective other than their own.

As we age, we see the world in a group-orientated way. These groups can come from our tribes, families, communities, cultures, political affiliations, and religions. Problems arise here because we choose sides and become pigheaded. Does this sound familiar these days?

Ultimately we should strive to gain a world-centric perspective. This is where we care for all living things regardless of who they are.

Improve your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your own emotions and the emotions of others. One way to improve your emotional intelligence is to put yourself in the role of the other person.

Imagine you have your two-colored ball between you and who you are talking with. Always try to see the ball as the other person. This is what being nice is all about.

Be sure to listen to all three parts of Futurethinkers podcast interview with philosopher Ken Wilber, the creator of Integral Theory and one of the key figures in the area of consciousness studies of our time.