Rosenverse

Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.

Log in Create free account

100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.

DesignOps and The Great Talent War of 2021 (Videoconference)
Thursday, August 19, 2021 • DesignOps Community
Share the love for this talk
Link:

Summary

Lots of organizations are hiring aggressively while, at the same time, turnover is at an all-time high among the design community. Join us for an interactive workshop to explore how DesignOps as a function must shape the recruiting, hiring, and retention process during the “Great Resignation.” We’ll be breaking into groups with specific focus and then reconvening to share: For hiring managers: What is working well to attract new talent and where are you stuck (e.g. a certain profile of talent, lack of perks, etc.)? For people managers: What strategies are you using to retain your best talent? What are your top folks asking for these days? If you’re on-boarding lots of new folks, what’s helping make that effective and friendly? For everyone else: What’s keeping you in your current role? What would get you to jump ship? If you are looking for a job, what do you want hiring managers to know or improve about the process?

Key Insights

  • Attrition rates in design roles have doubled, reaching around 30%, with hiring rates exceeding 35%, creating operational strain.

  • Psychological safety and strong team relationships remain the top reasons employees stay in roles despite pandemic-related challenges.

  • Design challenges in hiring processes are widely viewed as inequitable and inefficient, often adding unpaid work for candidates.

  • Continuous feedback is preferred over annual reviews, helping employees track progress and reduce burnout.

  • Clarity and transparency about remote vs. in-person work policies are critical post-COVID to attract and retain talent.

  • Proactive recruiting and pattern recognition help identify candidates good for roles they might not have formally applied for.

  • Remote and hybrid-friendly policies, unlimited PTO, and family support are key retention incentives.

  • Internal mobility presents an opportunity to address talent gaps by moving existing employees into design-related roles.

  • Hiring managers struggle with lengthy interview processes, bureaucratic policies, and narrow location restrictions limiting candidate pools.

  • Leadership alignment on hiring strategy and organizational priorities is essential to reduce burnout and create effective teams.

Notable Quotes

"Attrition numbers that normally are around 14 to 15% spike to 30 and hire 35% are creating real operational challenges."

"It's not equitable to ask people who have full-time jobs and family responsibilities to do extra unpaid design exercises."

"Psychological safety on a team is the number one reason people stay in a role."

"We need more continuous feedback instead of waiting for end-of-year reviews to help people see their long-term progress."

"Clarity on whether teams are working in person or remotely post-COVID is something people really want."

"Companies declaring 100% remote have an advantage in attracting talent right now."

"Proactive recruiting means recognizing when a candidate might be a better fit for a different role than the one they applied for."

"There’s a real frustration with bureaucracy and location-specific hiring policies limiting candidate pools."

"Internal moves within organizations into design roles represent a great opportunity during these talent wars."

"Unless leadership is really aligned on strategy and priorities, teams will continue to feel ineffective and burnt out."

Ask the Rosenbot
Davis Neable
How to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold
Laine Riley Prokay
How DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Andy Warr
Under My (Research) Umbrella: The Benefits and Challenges of Building a Unified Insights Function
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Bryce Benton
[Demo] AI-powered UX enhancement: Aligning GitHub documentation with USWDS at Austin Public Library
2024 • Designing with AI 2024
Gold
Maria Giudice
Becoming a Changemaker by Leading with Design
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Dr. Jamika D. Burge
How UX researchers can partner with (and not be replaced by) AI [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series](Videoconference)
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Jilanna Wilson
Distributed Design Operations Management
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Laura Smith
Embedding Service Design and Agile Practice within UK Planning Teams to Create Services that Last
2024 • Advancing Service Design 2024
Gold
Louis Rosenfeld
Opening Remarks
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Tamara Hale
War Stories LIVE! Tamara Hale
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Uday Gajendar
Theme One Intro
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Jacqui Frey
Flow and Superfluidity for Design Orgs
2018 • DesignOps Summit 2018
Gold
Sean Fitzell
Craft of User Research: Building Out Jobs to be Done Maps
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
Louis Rosenfeld
Coffee with Lou (Videoconference)
2024 • Rosenfeld Community
Alicia Mooty
Design Staffing Models
2021 • DesignOps Summit 2021
Gold
Sandra Camacho
Creating More Bias-Proof Designs
2025 • Rosenfeld Community

More Videos

"Empathy is not just for users but also vital for stakeholders, developers, and colleagues."

Shaping design, designers and teams

November 8, 2018

Sabrina Mach

"Design often ends up being a means to fix what development has already delivered."

Sabrina Mach Nina Wainwright

How to Design Your Design Operating Model

September 29, 2021

Samuel Proulx

"We need to stop treating digital and physical services as separate—they’re one holistic experience."

Samuel Proulx

Invisible barriers: Why accessible service design can’t be an afterthought

December 3, 2024

Saara Kamppari-Miller

"Meeting designers where they spend their time and integrating accessibility into their tools is the most effective way to drive adoption."

Saara Kamppari-Miller

DesignOps for Inclusive Design and Accessibility (Videoconference)

May 26, 2022

Briana Thomas

"We didn’t chase shiny objects; we gave creatives access to tools to inspire the future of creativity."

Briana Thomas

The Quiet Force: Uncovering Hidden Leadership in High-Impact Design Teams

September 24, 2024

Adam Cutler

"The hardest part about remote is making design reviews feel collaborative and team-based."

Adam Cutler Karen Pascoe Ian Swinson Susan Worthman

Discussion

June 8, 2016

"If you’re intentional in your tools and choices, and curious about their impact, you’ll find aligned interests and ease."

Operationalizing DesignOps

November 7, 2018

Leah Buley

"I don’t even use the word UX or user experience with clients if I can help it. Jargon is a barrier."

Leah Buley Joe Natoli

Ask Me Anything with Leah Buley and Joe Natoli, co-authors of The User Experience Team of One (2nd edition)

October 8, 2024

Nathan Shedroff

"The most important value delivered to customers is always the qualitative value—the emotional and experiential impact."

Nathan Shedroff

Double Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically

March 31, 2020