I was a manager for 25 years (and stayed at the company for almost 27).
When my team was finally dissolved, in 2017, the person with the least tenure had a decade. The person with the most had almost 27 years (he and I started on the same day, in 1990).
The pay was...not so good. The corporation had some fairly lousy HR policies.
I'm told that I was the reason that these folks stayed.
Apparently, I was a half-decent manager. I hated the job, but did it well.
These were a different breed of engineer from what seems to be the benchmark, these days. They were very experienced, senior-level C++ engineers. We did image processing pipelines, and various forms of "engine" code (like that BASF ad: "We don't make the software you use. We make the software you use better."). A lot of my management style involved abstracting the corporate HR policies, and working with my team. They all had families. One actually had a serious medical issue, during his tenure. Most had to deal with various emotional and family issues.
I also completely supported them pursuing any training they wanted; whether or not it directly applied to their work with my team.
I had to deal with each person as an individual. I had to understand their drives, and work with them. I treated them all with the utmost respect.
They worked very hard. They stepped up to the plate, when it was crucial, and I let them have slack, when the dust settled.
That's great to hear that you provided an awesome space for your team.
I think we won't see this kind of loyalty much going forward though, the opportunity cost now of not changing jobs for more $ has a greater downside now that 20 years ago. House prices are beyond ridiculous, lockdowns create confusion about the next 12-24 months, the economy is in a terrible state, but somehow the stock market marches forward.
The way I see it, engineers need to make their money now or risk being left out in the cold for when many assets move out of reach from the middle class.
I don't want a yacht, I just want to own a home with no debt. Apparently that is not an easy thing for many people to do anymore.
I was a manager for 25 years (and stayed at the company for almost 27).
When my team was finally dissolved, in 2017, the person with the least tenure had a decade. The person with the most had almost 27 years (he and I started on the same day, in 1990).
The pay was...not so good. The corporation had some fairly lousy HR policies.
I'm told that I was the reason that these folks stayed.
Apparently, I was a half-decent manager. I hated the job, but did it well.
These were a different breed of engineer from what seems to be the benchmark, these days. They were very experienced, senior-level C++ engineers. We did image processing pipelines, and various forms of "engine" code (like that BASF ad: "We don't make the software you use. We make the software you use better."). A lot of my management style involved abstracting the corporate HR policies, and working with my team. They all had families. One actually had a serious medical issue, during his tenure. Most had to deal with various emotional and family issues.
I also completely supported them pursuing any training they wanted; whether or not it directly applied to their work with my team.
I had to deal with each person as an individual. I had to understand their drives, and work with them. I treated them all with the utmost respect.
They worked very hard. They stepped up to the plate, when it was crucial, and I let them have slack, when the dust settled.
It seemed to work for me. YMMV.