Deep Dive
Talent Retention
Retaining talent through the power of culture
About talent retention
Everyone wants the best team
But in today’s competitive talent market, that’s easier said than done. Talent is scarce, and the fight for it is real. Having an attractive employer brand helps, but it’s not what keeps people.
The real challenge? Making sure great people don’t just say yes on day one, but still mean it a year later.
That’s the essence of talent retention. So how do you make it work?
To build a distinctive and lasting talent retention strategy, employers need to offer more than just competitive conditions.
How do you, as an employer, retain valuable team members?
Holding on to talent is just as important as attracting it. But how do you ensure employees not only stay, but remain engaged? Start with three building blocks that form the backbone of sustainable talent retention:
- Growth perspective: Clear development paths provide direction and certainty.
- Coaching: Ongoing guidance helps employees grow and make choices.
- Culture: Connection to mission and values strengthens ownership and engagement
A good way to understand why these three elements are so crucial is to look at the main reasons employees leave.
Lack of growth perspective
Employees often leave when they see no clear path forward. A major 2021 study showed that 63% of departing employees cited limited growth opportunities as a key reason for leaving: 33% even called it the decisive factor.
Lack of guidance
The absence of structured support, ike career coaching, one-on-one mentorship and regular feedback, is frequently mentioned as a critical reason for moving on
Lack of connection to company vision
When the mission isn’t clear and the culture isn’t felt, people struggle to find meaning and ultimately, a reason to stay.
The reverse is equally true: the same three themes that make people leave are also consistently the biggest predictors of engagement, productivity, and loyalty. Research repeatedly shows that growth opportunities, guidance, and cultural belonging have a direct impact on how long people stay and how well they perform.
In other words: as an employer, you know exactly where to start. If you take these themes seriously and actively work on them, you'll not only build retention, but also an attractive and distinctive employer brand.
#1: A clearly defined growth perspective
Clear growth paths are invaluable for both attracting and retaining talent. They provide direction, encourage development, and give employees confidence in their future within the organization.
But growth perspective is about more than just promotions. It’s about transparency—knowing what’s expected at each stage, understanding what growth looks like, and having the space to take ownership of your own path. When team leads and employees work from a shared growth framework, it creates a common language and rhythm around development—and helps shape a culture where growth becomes second nature.
Effective growth paths integrate two key elements:
- Company-wide cultural competencies that promote collaboration and reinforce shared values
- Role- and expertise-specific competencies that deepen professional skills and impact
At every level, it’s clear what’s expected—and where the next step lies. That clarity brings structure, motivation, and momentum.
#2: Continuing support in talent development
Ambitious employees expect more than an annual review. Especially younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) value continuous growth opportunities and direct guidance- they see work as a driver for their personal development, looking to advance their skills and career.
According to Gallup, they consistently rank 'learning and growing' among the top three reasons to choose or stay with an employer. It's not just a nice-to-have, it's a basic requirement.
Truly effective talent development requires more than isolated interventions—it needs an ongoing development cycle in which employees can take initiative, within a structure that supports them. Such a cycle might include these five elements:
- Goal-setting – both role-specific skills and company-wide cultural competencies.
- Coaching – through regular one-on-ones and on-the-job support
- Peer feedback – input from close colleagues they work with
- (self-)Evaluation – reflecting on one’s own growth, impact, and progress on set goals and competencies, done both by the team member and their lead.
- Shared reflection – a dialogue in which team lead and employee look back and ahead together
Once these rhythms are anchored in your organization, learning becomes part of everyday work and development becomes a shared responsibility.
#3: Co-ownership of a connecting culture
A strong culture is more than just atmosphere: it’s direction, foundation, and belonging. Employees who identify with the mission and values of the organization feel more engaged, more responsible, and demonstrably stay longer.
Culture starts with a clear mission. A strong mission answers three questions:
- Why do we do what we do?
- What do we deliver for our clients?
- How do we work together to achieve this?