Companies without clear career ladders have 35% higher attrition. The cost is enormous.
Engineers leave for two reasons: compensation (fixable) and growth ambiguity (fixable with ladders). Clear career ladders reduce attrition 25-35% because engineers can see their future.
Implementation cost: 2-4 weeks of engineering leadership time ($10-20K). Annual savings from reduced attrition: $200-600K for a 50-person team. ROI: 1,000-6,000%.
Key: separate IC and management tracks. Not everyone should (or wants to) manage people.
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8 minPublished Work
This article expands on ideas from my published work in CIO.com, Built In, Mind the Product, and HackerNoon. View published articles →
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