28 Aug 2023 by Andrew Spicer
I was having lunch with several fellow company leaders for partners in the SAP ecosystem recently, and one particular gripe kept coming up in the conversation.
Many of my peers highlighted that they were finding hiring and retaining skilled staff hard. Most employers can relate to that - we are experiencing one of the tightest labour markets in decades.
While the slowing economy has taken the heat out of the recruitment market, tech-related roles can still be challenging to fill as we face global competition for the best SAP architects and consultants.
However, the recruitment headaches are not something we can relate to at Realtech. Part of that is down to our size - we are a boutique SAP consultancy with a team of 29.
But what’s remarkable is the long tenure many of our staff have with the company, a trait that is usual in industries like accounting or law but less so in tech.
The 25-year club
We have four staff who have been with us for over 20 years, with one just celebrating her 25th anniversary and another on the cusp of doing so. We’ve got five people in the 11 - 15 year category, with three in the 6 - 10 year bracket. The rest have been with us for five years or less.
Rejuvenation and change is good, but so too is experience, continuity, and the deep understanding of our customers’ needs that comes with our staff having that longevity with Realtech.
Incidentally, our gender split is 60-40 male-female, whereas women make up around 23% of the tech workforce in Aotearoa overall. We are fortunate to have women in key management roles in the organisation.
Employee churn, an issue that peaked during the so-called Great Resignation triggered by the pandemic, hasn’t really been an issue for us. Why is that?
I like to put it down to the fact that we pay competitive salaries relative to the market, and offer excellent conditions. I’ve written before about our flexible working and holiday arrangements, where we support people heading overseas for an extended period, combining vacation with remote work to allow them to spend a decent time in another part of the world.
Boutique benefits
I believe it also comes down to the attributes of working in a smaller organisation, with a flat management structure. We all know each other well and have plenty of one-on-one contact, whether that is face-to-face when in the office or with effective use of Teams enabling regular direct interaction between everyone. We are well able and willing to support our staff and their development needs, whether that means offering them training in SAP technologies and solutions or other areas they wish to stretch themselves in. That sort of environment is harder to maintain in a large organisation.
As I said my farewells and left that lunch meet-up, I was convinced more than ever of what makes Realtech stand out in the SAP consulting space.
It is our people.
The high level of trust customers have in us is a result of strong relationships that have been nurtured through the years. Long may that continue as we look back over more than 25 years of business in New Zealand (we were founded in 1997), and ahead to the next quarter century helping businesses make the most out of the world’s leading enterprise resourcing planning system - SAP.
Get in touch with Realtech to find out about our team’s unique approach to supporting you and your SAP needs.