How we retain our employees in the era of job hopping

Job hopping is a big thing now. And at a time of global uncertainty. Yes, I’m talking to you, my Millennials and GenZ friends. Is it because of the short attention span? Or is it because we seek a place and people we feel comfortable with and can grow with?

According to Zippia, on average, a millennial stays at their job for max 2.75 years.

And most are torn between jobs, side hustles, or freelancing, which further disperses their professional experience.

Even though GenZs didn’t have long before COVID-19, the IBM report found that Gen Z made up 33% of job hoppers in 2020.

Of course, changing jobs is no longer a red flag for your future employers. But it’s always painful. Considering this uncertain era once again.  

We know how you must feel. We at Scale Final have found a secret to staying together. The team has been around for 4.5 years. And how? Building long-term relationships and treating people as personalities rather than functions is in our DNA, part of our core values.

To keep it real, I talked to our HR Kate, who has seen it all (I’m only a newbie with only 1.5 years on the job).

So here’s the interview.

How come the team is 4.5 years old?

We have a team that has been with us for 4.5 years. They have already changed 5 projects, and 2 weeks ago, they were transferred to a new project. The guys are talented and hardworking. It’s just that the project didn’t go well. Sometimes it’s the projects that don’t work, not the people. We never let our people down. There’s always something to do in our company.

How do we not let people down?

We have a girl joining us on January 8th for the Head of Media Buying position. She started 4.5 years ago as a junior. She grew very quickly, and we didn’t even have a promotion system for this project. When the project was closed, she left. But now she’s back, and we’re very happy about it!

And this isn’t just one such example…

I don’t want to take away people’s agency. Unless we’re talking about extreme situations, when a project is completed, or a person decides to leave the team, it is always their own decision. Their ideas, wishes, ambitions. Our co-founders listen to everyone and give everyone a chance.

Scale Final isn’t about verticals. The people in the company move in all directions.

People want to stay with the company. Senior management encourages people to grow even if they feel like exploring new areas. 

So there’s this Great Glass Elevator. It can move in any direction – not just up and down, but sideways, slantways, and any other direction you can imagine.

This reflects the non-linear growth in Scale Final, where progress and advancement are not limited to a single, upward trajectory.

In Scale Final, employees can change roles and responsibilities and adapt to new challenges and opportunities as they arise.

How does Scale Final retain employees and stay attractive?

Of course we have bonuses and regular salary increases. It’s very important that an employee gets a fair return on their time investment. We try to review programmers’ salaries (if they’re were hired for junior positions) every six months and marketers’ salaries – once a year. Marketers get bonuses from the profits they personally bring in. But that’s about it. We can’t boast about giving shares in the company or anything else yet. 

Our mutual growth is also an important factor.

Absolutely. I believe that such clear human values set our team apart from others. Which, of course, also come with material benefits. Thanks to the fact for example, that we have groups with different levels of English, for example, people from different departments and different roles communicate with each other and become closer. First and foremost as people. As you said so well, Scale Final is like Willy Wonka’s elevator. I haven’t even started on our parties yet…

From what you say, it sounds as if the employees set the rules themselves

We owe the fact that we have these values to our co-founders. Once we have found our people, we stay with them. But you are absolutely right that these values are only maintained, nurtured and strengthened thanks to the team. It is only in the hands of the management to create the right atmosphere. But it is the team that lives and breathes it.