So I work for a software dev company. The team I manage is a small team of Geographical Information Systems specialists. It's a niche field for Geography computer nerds.
For the last 3 years our whole company has been hemorrhaging good people. It comes down to a combination of too much change too fast, new leadership, COVID, and shortsighted decision making – including failing to keep pace with industry pay rates.
I took over as manager of my small team 2 years ago, I confirmed what I thought we were paying and immediately spoke to my boss and explained that in order to keep the skilled people we had left, and make sure the entire team didn't fall apart, we needed to AT LEAST be competitive with the lower end of the market as far as pay was concerned.
“There's no budget for it”
Again and again. “We can't afford it” so earlier this year, when one of my most experienced team members left, citing pay – AND ONLY PAY – as the reason, we went out to market again to replace him.
Crickets.
Actually, not crickets. A shitload of applications… from people who had zero experience in the field. I had applications from retail workers, factory workers, warehouse shelf stackers, and a gardener. I'm all for giving people a chance but if you've never even opened a GIS program I just can't make that work.
I told my boss that we're not getting any suitable applications. I explained that the rate we are offering is insulting, and we'd never fill the role this way. Again, “there's no money for it”.
A downturn in workload, and the problem just kind of… faded away.
Well, that didn't last. Work picked back up and now I've got 4 months of work booked in… and another one of my guys quits. I don't blame him – he got offered 35% more than he was earning with us.
I go back to my boss and explain it. Again. Now were two team members down and I'm biting my tongue to stop myself from saying “I fucking told you so.”
Less than a day later, he's found the budget. Too late, the guy is going, but at least now we can pay the rest of the team better, and recruit replacements.
Well, word got around. We haven't even placed the ad yet and I have 3 experienced, keen candidates lined up. Had an interview, and one offer has gone out already.
Just pay people what they are worth, and maybe you can continue to run a fucking business.