Corporates must go back to “old-fashioned” principles to ensure start-ups don’t steal their top tech talent, according to ‘The Future of the Workforce’ panel debate.
Bindi Karia, a start-up expert named as one of GQ’s top 100 most influential women in tech in the UK, and formerly of Silicon Valley Bank and Microsoft’s Emerging Business Team, said that technology start-ups can now afford to pay the same salaries as large tech companies.
“I’m seeing people jump ship from big to small,” she said, reporting that start-ups are deliberately head hunting those with corporate experience to introduce more structured growth to their businesses.
Alice Weightman, CEO of The Work Crowd and MD of Hanson Search, said: “We need to go back to old-fashioned principles. If we just double money and shareholder options we’re exposing ourselves in attracting talent in but then losing it very quickly. We need to go back to what are people looking for."
She added: “There’s a danger that when firms give out stocks they become exposed when shares fall. Business leaders are very much talking about sense of purpose and why people want to go to work – why people want to go to work is a great environment.”
Elizabeth Kanter, director of government relations at SAP UK, added that sabbaticals and strong CSR initiatives, such as Osper’s project teaching coding to children in Africa, are also crucial.
Additionally, the debate explored the need to engage more with freelancers and remote staff to complement core, onsite teams. Karia added the caveat, however, that remote working isn't suitable for everyone.
“I do think it’s very industry-specific,” she said. “The finance sector is very much about discussion and face time for instance.
“Face time is more important than ever because technology makes it so easy to be isolated,” she added.
