Turnover Turnaround: Recruiting and Retaining Senior Software Programmers

ABC Corporation, a leading supplier of industrial automation software, experienced tremendous growth in 1996, which resulted in the need to hire more than 200 people. As an employer of choice in the high technology market, ABC had no problem attracting talent. While the recruiting engine was functioning at peak effectiveness and efficiency, the director of human resources noticed that turnover of senior software programmers was escalating at an unacceptable rate. This chapter describes a simple intervention that overcame ABCs turnover problem. Gilberts Behavioral Engineering Model (1978) was used to analyze the performance problem and identify the most appropriate intervention. This intervention reduced programmer turnover to below industry standards, cut new-hire costs, and increased productivity of software development managers because they did not have to devote so much time to interviewing candidates. By using a systematic approach, the performance problem was addressed with minimal effort. [Download PDF]