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A/E Project Engineers to the C-Suite. Attracting and Retaining Staff in 2021
Carol Metzner • Apr 23, 2021
The talent market for architects and civil/environmental engineers is at an all-time competitive high. Consulting firms, public agencies and municipalities are struggling to find candidates. Recruiters and talent acquisition leaders are crafting value proposition presentations to encourage potential candidates to consider even informal conversations. In response, employers are resorting to strong financial counter offers and, in some cases, unrealizable promises to keep staff from leaving. Salary, bonus and stock increases, work from home and flexible work hours are back in the spot light.
If 2020 taught us anything, it was that life is too short to work for a firm that doesn’t appreciate or recognize its staff – at all levels.
Executives find themselves frustrated with decisions that their Board of Directors made last year. These executives are confidentially exploring opportunities that give them increased input and control. Similarly, increases in mergers and acquisitions leave many leadership staff competing for their current roles or moved into others. These executives, who were seemingly content and unobtainable prior to the pandemic, are ready to explore new horizons. Competition is fierce for firms that turn to acquisitive growth. They are looking to supplement expansions with strategic hires. Attracting and hiring market-specific sector leaders and experienced operations executives are keys for firms reaching 2021/2022 initiatives. Candidates are evaluating their future boss, ability to contribute to the company in a meaningful manner and financial incentives that reward personal success.
Attempting to attract, hire and retain all levels of project staff was challenging pre-pandemic and has only increased in difficulty. Employers must offer more than salary to attract these viable candidates. Many are looking closely at flexible return to office policies, company culture, challenging projects and most importantly opportunity for advancement. If employers can’t show a clear path for advancement, then they don’t stand a chance against a competitor with transparent goals.
Has your company re-designed incentives for 2021 to retain and attract top talent?
The Metzner Group Blog
During 2021, growth through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) continued to be a stronghold within the North American architectural and engineering consulting marketplace. Rusk O'Brien Gido & Partners reported that 2021 was a record-breaking year for A/E M&A activity. Professional services firms competing for talent have figured out that to grow in new regions or new disciplines, M&A or recruiting through full team take-outs is a viable option. Traditionally, firms identify, recruit and hire practice builders or leaders in a specific market sector or location. These strategic hires are then tasked to build a team. While this practice still exists, many firms are targeting specific firms or leaders with cohesive teams to shorten the timeline for growth. These teams are enticed to move together for a new opportunity. It is a win for the team and a win for the hiring company! There is an old saying "People leave managers, not companies." While that can be true, it is also a fact that people leave companies to stay with their managers. While firms have tried to thwart efforts of teams leaving by demanding leaders sign non-compete and/or non-solicit contracts, they are finding that staff and the courts are frowning on such agreements. The U.S. Department of Justice's promise to criminally prosecute “no-poach” agreements, have left employers questioning how to protect their employees and teams from being "poached" or recruited by competitors. For clarity, a no-poach agreement is an agreement between two or more employers not to hire employees away from each other. Recruiting in the A/E marketplace for 30+ years, I have seen recruiting trends come and go. M&A and team take-outs are only going to increase as the market for talent tightens. A client recently asked me what ideas I could offer to keep talented staff and teams from leaving. The answers are many and varied. At the top of the list is reviewing company culture, something that is incredibly difficult to change. Exciting projects, compensation and great colleagues are great places to start...but lately staff and their teams won't accept a company culture that views them as widgets.
