Satisfaction: Workplace Innovations to Attract, Develop and Keep Talent.

What is Satisfaction? What are the factors surrounding talent retention in firms? Is it work culture or diverse teams? Working on good design projects? Having a Transparent Promotion Policy? Role models in leadership positions? High salary? Meaningful work? 

While nearly half of today’s graduates from architecture programs are women, they make up only 25% of practitioners, and 17% of partners or principals in architecture firms. In the Hiring & Retention, we will examine survey results on the initial employment and retention of architectural professionals as it relates to gender equity. We will highlight “pinch points” around major career and life milestones at which women are more likely to leave a firm.  Our research has shown that those who believe that their daily work is aligned with long-term career goals are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, and less likely to be looking for new employment opportunities.

This workshop will further explore what people need in the short term (ie.,happiness) vs. what they truly need for a meaningful career (that they may not even realize yet). We will have 3 feature panelists from various Bay Area firms to review our early survey findings and discuss their work culture as it relates to job satisfaction and retention.

This will be followed by a series of small group exercises, using design thinking tools, to generate strategies for transforming workplace culture in order to increase sponsorship/mentorship opportunities, provide fair and unbiased criteria for advancement, counter tendencies of in-group favoritism, promote diversity in teams, and to develop meaningful roles for all employees.  

Workshop Agenda

• 6pm-6:30pm Networking/Refreshments
• 6:30-7pm H&R Survey Findings/Panel Discussion on Satisfaction w/Q&A 
• 7pm-7:50 Break-Out Groups 
• 7:50-8:10pm Group Presentations/Report Back
• 8:10pm- 8:30pm Conclusion/Q&A

AIA CEUs - 2.0