How to Build a Team of Engineers with Great Culture
To attract and retain top engineering talent, it is necessary to foster a culture where those engineers will thrive. While every engineer will have unique priorities and preferences, here are several areas that help foster a culture that nearly every engineer will thrive in.
Eliminate Micromanagement
One of the fastest ways to kill morale and employee engagement is to micromanage a team. Talented engineers want the space and autonomy to do their jobs without someone constantly checking in, calling meetings or telling them how to do things. By being supportive of your team and offering them independence, you’ll help build a great culture where engineers feel respected for their abilities.
Provide Strong Work-Life Balance
Engineering is a stressful field and the job often requires lots of overtime, which can lead to burnout. By helping your engineers achieve work-life balance, you are not only helping them manage stress, but you are also showing them that you value their well-being. Companies that support work-life balance tend to attract top talent much easier than companies that do not. Options for helping engineers achieve work-life balance include flexible schedules, telecommuting, remote work and job sharing.
Provide Actionable Feedback
A great culture is one that relies on open communication, including constructive feedback. Providing engineers with ongoing, specific, actionable feedback helps them understand how they are doing, what’s working and where they need to make potential adjustments. Feedback should always include positive information because it helps motivate people to repeat positive behaviors.
Support Development
Engineers must keep their skills up to date to maintain licenses and certifications but many want to go above and beyond even those basic development steps. That means top engineers seek out companies that offer learning, development and growth opportunities. Perks like sponsored conference attendance, tuition assistance, on-the-job training, mentoring, and more help companies attract and keep top engineering talent.
Provide Opportunities to Innovate
We often think of engineering as rigid, but the fact is, engineers, innovate new solutions all the time. Engineering innovations are on full display around the world right now as companies look for new ways to help COVID-19 patients. In Italy, engineers figured out how to repurpose scuba gear to make ventilators. In Europe, Mercedes engineers have innovated a way to mass-produce ventilators by repurposing old equipment. While not all innovations are as pressing as saving lives, engineers in all fields want to find new ways to solve problems and they want to work for companies that support that drive.
Are You Searching for Top Engineering Talent?
If you are looking for talented engineers who can help your organization achieve its goals, contact the experts at PEAK Technical Staffing today to learn how we can help you improve your hiring process.
