Stickiness Quotient

What makes employees build their careers in the same organisation?

- Dr Vaijayanti Gupta

In today’s world, everything is happening at the speed of light; careers are being built in the blink of an eye; 22-year olds are heading companies that are valued at millions. Both in India and across the world, leadership of companies is growing younger by the day, consequently making them more vibrant. They bring in new ideas and strategies that are helping organisations grow at an unprecedented speed.

On the other hand, we have another group of leaders who have years of knowledge in their field of work. They have gathered experiences through their interactions with their colleagues and peers and have achieved laurels throughout their long careers. Their indepth understanding of their subject matter fuels their thirst for innovation and creates changes in their industry. It is surprising to see how so many of these leaders have been a part of the same organisation throughout their careers.

Inevitably, there are several perks of being in the same organisation for a long period. From my personal experience, I joined Strand Life Sciences as an application scientist in 2006, and over the last 11 years I have never felt the urge to switch firms. This interest to stay on in a company can be attributed to a variety of reasons.

The culture factor

The most important aspect that works in the favour of an organisation is its culture. A company is essentially made up of its people. Hence, the kind of employees in an organisation makes or breaks a person’s perception of the place. There are two aspects to this—the work environment and the nature of employees. Invariably, these two are strongly interrelated and influence each other at more than one level.