Executive Summary

• Sophie Parker FCIPD, Head of People Development & Talent Acquisition, of Pure Data Centres Group, explores how we should stop recruiting our way out of the data centre talent crisis; because if we are continually recruiting without understanding why our existing people stay and what might make them leave, we risk filling a leaking bucket.
• Younger talent want trust given to them and stretch opportunities available to help them develop were mentioned by the majority. So are we making sure that we’re providing these?
• We need to give the people already inside our industry a good enough reason to stay just as much as we do finding and attracting more talent in.

Quite rightly there is a huge amount of energy going into attracting talent into our industry, but the question we need to ask ourselves is, once we have found good people, how much energy are we putting into keeping them?

In a rapidly growing industry, it is easy to get caught up in the newness of what is next, the next project, the next hire… but if we are continually recruiting without understanding why our existing people stay and what might make them leave, we risk filling a leaking bucket.

Retention is the quieter part of the talent conversation but it needs to become a key part of the talent strategy.  At a recent conference for young people in data centres, I posed the question of what will keep you in our industry. The trust given to them and stretch opportunities available to help them develop were mentioned by the majority, but how often do we sit and make sure that we are providing these?

One of the biggest opportunities I see for the industry is to think differently about development. How much more capability could we create from the people we already have? Not everyone arrives fully formed, most don’t. We can recruit for potential, curiosity and transferable skills, then invest in developing the technical and human capabilities people need to succeed. These can be the everyday opportunities of giving someone responsibility for a new project, pairing them with an experienced colleague, creating opportunities to move between teams, giving emerging leaders access to coaching, helping technical specialists develop the communication and influencing skills they need as their roles grow.

These are the key ways I suggest you do this:

• Make career conversations normal. When people can see how they can develop with you, rather than having to leave you to progress, you create a much stronger reason to stay. Next time you sit down with your direct reports, ask them, “What do you enjoy most about working here?”, “What would you hate us to lose as we grow?”, “What would make you want to stay here for the next few years?”.
• People don’t expect a promotion every year but they do want to know that they are progressing. Talk about skills, experiences and future opportunities – not just the next job title.
• Develop your people managers. As we continue to grow at this pace, investing in managers ability to communicate, coach, give feedback and lead through change is critical.
• Create opportunities before people ask for them. Look internally when new roles and projects energy. Give people exposure to different parts of the business, show them that there is more for them to discover.
• Understand your critical talent. Don’t wait until someone resigns to realise how much knowledge, experience and capability they hold. Know where your key people are, what motivates them and what experiences they need to stay engaged.

Our existing workforce is tomorrow’s capability. They already understand our businesses, our customers, our infrastructure and our culture. If we invest in helping them grow, we build our organisational capability. Next time you ask “who do we need to hire?”, you need to ask two equally important questions, “who do we already have?”, and “what do they need from us to want to stay?”

We need to give the people already inside our industry a good enough reason to stay just as much as we do finding and attracting more talent in.