Retaining Talent with a Design Thinking Mindset

Design thinking methodologies are important when enhancing CX outwardly, but this same mindset should be applied when retaining talent on design teams and throughout organizations. Especially with a high demand for talent in the workforce right now, it’s essential for leadership to look at their employees’ experiences and how a human-centered approach can be taken with management and retention. 

Continue engagement past onboarding

Organizations generally work to engage their newest hires in any and every way to acclimate them to the workplace culture and align the newest team members with overall goals and values. However, this level of engagement shouldn’t be exclusive to the onboarding phase. Employees want to feel valued by their organizations and sometimes the best ways to do this include meaningfully communicating about both personal and professional growth, allowing new and creative ideas to be shared, and making sure that all members of the design team are engaging in meaningful work. By focusing on designers as humans first and not solely being concerned with their output, all employees will feel more engaged in the greater mission of the organization while also feeling valued as people.

Ensure that your policies are human-centered

According to the WTW 2021 Benefit Trends Survey, 86% of North American employers cite stress, mental health issues, and burnout as major workforce challenges. As workplace culture adapts and evolves, an organizations’ policies should, too. An emphasis on mental health and overall wellbeing can be communicated to new hires and long time employees by providing mental health resources and including “mental health” or “wellbeing days” as valid reasons for taking sick leave. Changes such as these will validate employees’ potential concerns. These initiatives taken by company leadership will also help to alleviate some of the challenges in the workplace related to burnout, stress, and mental wellness.

People are the greatest asset

All in all, an organization is only as good as its weakest link. So, organizations should strive to help designers bring their best ideas and practices to the table. Your team members are your greatest assets; investing in their growth and development as they continue in your organization will not only result in successful design initiatives, but it can also foster a positive and productive work culture.