It’s time to build better workplace cultures and hire with diversity in mind when it comes to digital roles, says Darian Kovacs, founder of Jelly Digital Marketing, and the PR and digital marketing school, Jelly Academy.
With a steep rise in the cost of living, looming and long-lasting job dissatisfaction, and changing safety standards, many Canadians are leaving their jobs for other opportunities. This period, beginning early in 2021, has been dubbed “The Great Resignation”.
To learn more about how companies have been affected and how they are pivoting to increase employee retention in digital marketing and tech roles, Jelly Academy ran a survey, sponsored by Innovate BC, to obtain data from 2,000-plus participants across Canada.
Jelly Academy is a digital marketing school that relies heavily on listening to HR managers and industry experts in order to shape its curriculum. As a school, we work hard to stay on top of industry trends to determine which skills and credentials are needed for people to land digital marketing roles. Conversely, as Jelly Digital Marketing, the agency, it is also important to us to know what it takes to retain people in digital marketing and tech roles.
The participants of this survey are from Canada’s main industries including Marketing, Financial Services, Transportation, Food and Beverage, and many others. They were asked about the retention of employees in digital roles, what they are actively doing to hire for digital roles, which tactics are being implemented to retain employees in these roles, and how remote or hybrid options are affecting team culture.
Declining talent retention
A main takeaway from our study is that the majority of Canadian companies, as represented within this sample size, are currently experiencing a downward trend in employee retention for digital-focused marketing and tech roles. While a high percentage of participants cited workplace morale and culture as a reason for employee departure, nearly half of respondents admitted that they do not work to emphasize these within their businesses.
Beyond workplace culture, the study also highlights the shortcomings of small and large organizations when it comes to proactively hiring and retaining diverse employees in digital roles. Management teams within businesses throughout Canada now have the opportunity to use these results to inform strategies that contribute to a more attractive working experience for employees from all backgrounds considering digital roles.
Most importantly. in order to retain employees in digital roles and attempt to offset the effects of “The Great Resignation”, there needs to be greater levels of resources available for employees to be able to continually progress their skills. Employers should also work to strengthen their methods of diverse employee hiring and retention, in order to promote a well-rounded workplace environment.
By encouraging employees in digital roles to always work toward a greater goal, employees are more likely to extend their time with an organization as they remain challenged and invested in their future.
To learn more about the key findings and recommendations by Jelly Academy, read the study here.
Darian Kovacs is the Indigenous founder of Vancouver based SEO company Jelly Digital Marketing & PR and digital marketing school, Jelly Academy. He is also the host of the podcast Marketing News Canada.
Jelly Marketing is a member of the Institute of Canadian Agencies. Report on Marketing is where leading Canadian agencies showcase their insights, cutting-edge research and client successes. The Report on Marketing provides a valuable source of thought leadership for Canadian marketers to draw inspiration from. Find more articles like this at the Report on Marketing.
