Slowing the Revolving Door: How These LA Tech Companies Are Retaining Their People

It takes less than 750 days for the average professional at top tech companies to move on to greener pastures, according to a recent workforce study. 

While this abbreviated tenure has become the norm at many organizations, savvy tech leaders are slowing the revolving door by fulfilling their employees’ desire for growth. 

“Technical people often get an itch to try new things, experiment and broaden their horizons — I certainly have many times,” said Lead Software Engineer Julia Hayward, who has worked at Redgate Software for eight years. 

Hayward attributes her longevity to consistent mobility within the company. 

“This is the longest spell in a career of 30 years,” Hayward said. “In that time, I’ve moved through multiple teams, worked on a wide variety of products, been both a team lead with managerial responsibility, and a staff-level engineer.”

When employers commit to listening to employee ambitions and invest in their long-term growth, there is often a reciprocal response of long-term loyalty — as a conversation with personnel from Redgate Software, FloQast, Boingo, TigerConnect and Bliss Point Media made clear.

Built In LA connected with these five tenured tech professionals to learn more about the appealing culture that inspired their enduring dedication to their companies.

 

 

DIRECTV aims to change the way the world experiences entertainment by providing solutions that deliver entertainment experiences to millions of customers. Principal Tech Project & Program Manager Tatiana Williams has been with DIRECTV for 12 years. 

 

What drew you to DIRECTV? 

The most important reasons why I stay are a strong sense of belonging, good relationships, the space to grow professionally and knowing that my work is valued. I’ve had the opportunity to work within different areas of DIRECTV, including operations, CARE, communications and IT.

There were multiple growth opportunities, promotions, as well as recognition along the way. I’ve had the opportunity to stand up projects from the ground up and see the measurable positive impact my work has had.

I’ve had the opportunity to stand up projects from the ground up and see the measurable positive impact.”

 

DIRECTV has a culture of people who are smart, driven and passionate about the why. We want to have fun and do meaningful work to ensure our customers have the best experience. I like interacting with others who also care about people and care about creating solutions. 

Culturally, at DIRECTV we care for each other. I feel like a trusted member of the team and I trust my teammates to make the right decisions. 

 

 

 

FloQast is a fintech company that aims to automate and streamline common accounting workflows. Director of Inside Sales Austin Brown has been with Floqast for roughly four years.  

 

What drew you to FloQast? 

I started my career in “Big Four” public accounting. I ended up realizing pretty early on that I didn’t see myself as an accountant long-term, even after getting my degree in accounting and spending countless hours studying for my CPA. 

On the positive side, though, I did find out as an auditor that what I wanted for the next step in my career was to use my relationship-building skills to make a direct impact at the organization I joined. When the opportunity to become a business development representative at FloQast popped up, it checked all the boxes for me — even though I never previously expected myself to go into sales. 

I was able to utilize my soft skills every day. I was able to help drive revenue growth at a fast-growing company. And I got to do this while not wasting all my previous accounting experience and the hard work that I put into getting my CPA.

Staying at FloQast and continuing to use my experience in public accounting — as well as everything I’ve learned and seen in the last four years — has been a no-brainer for me. I still find myself challenged daily and dedicated to helping drive FloQast’s growth.

 

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for an open role on your team?

My advice would be to take the leap and apply. Sales sounds like the craziest idea for accounting and audit professionals since they are used to such a predictable and stable environment. But, if you are anything like me, or the several dozen former auditors who have come over to FloQast to start their careers in sales, it couldn’t be more energizing and refreshing to enter into an environment where your hard work actually translates into your success, career progression and compensation. 

 It couldn’t be more energizing to enter an environment where your hard work  translates into your success.”

 

If you realize you want more human interaction, less checking the boxes in spreadsheets, and like to compete, apply to a BDR role. It was the best decision I ever made. It really was the springboard for my growth in the company.

 

 

 

 

Boingo is a Wi-Fi and cellular company that aims to help the world stay connected. VP of Engineering Steve Moller has been at the company for over 18 years.

 

What drew you to Boingo? 

I decided to join Boingo 18 years ago for two primary reasons: the technology and the people. 

 Over the past 20 years, Boingo evolved  from a retail Wi-Fi company to a complete, end-to-end wireless company for large venues and enterprise companies. During this evolution, the technology also evolved, making the engineering environment exciting to be a part of. 

We use the latest technology when we build new product solutions and incorporate automation to enhance efficiencies in our engineering processes. All this makes Boingo a rewarding, challenging, and educational environment. Boingo’s work culture also attracts like-minded people who are passionate about creating the best possible products to connect our world.

 

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for an open role on your team?

The Boingo culture is captured in the acronym SPIRIT that we have on our lobby wall. And, it’s not just words on a wall. I really feel like we live this at Boingo. 

 

 

 

 

TigerConnect aims to enable its customers to automate clinical workflows, speed decisions and improve patient outcomes. Lead Android Engineer Cary Dobeck has been TigerConnect for seven years.  

 

What drew you to TigerConnect? 

I originally came to TigerConnect as an intern and have grown with the company ever since. I was initially drawn to the role as it allowed me to be close to home, bike to work and work with so many great people. 

I stay for a few reasons:

First, I feel like the work and mission we have is just so meaningful. The things we work on on a daily basis impact thousands of hospitals across the country. We care about making the best product and not just checking boxes. I’m challenged technically while also getting to work collaboratively with other departments.

Second, my career growth from Android intern to Android technical lead has been great. When I started with TigerConnect as an intern, I started with simple tasks trying to prove myself and getting to work with really smart engineers. Along the way, I’ve learned to find my voice, ask questions and learn the ins and outs of how things work — and eventually start formulating my own opinions and solutions. TigerConnect is great at continually finding new ways to challenge me and help me grow personally and professionally.

Along the way, I’ve learned to find my voice, ask questions and learn how things work.”

 

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for an open role on your team?

One of the things I love to see in new team members is a passion for what you do. I get to interact and bump elbows with so many people and teams. They’re all so passionate about the work they’re doing and the impact they have on our clients and their patients.

We’re building a platform that harmonizes physicians, nurses, their patients and the data that connects all of them. This is not an easy task and is a problem yet to be fully solved. We all get to use our critical thinking and innovative approach so when you come to TigerConnect, be ready to work on some tough problems with real-world impact.

 

 

 

Bliss Point Media is an advertising agency that combines cutting-edge media capabilities with statistics and computer science. Charlie Sternfeld, manager of FP&A, has been with the media company for four years.

 

What drew you to Bliss Point Media? 

I applied to Bliss Point because it was clear they were investing in not only its products and main line of business but also in its employees. With prior experience at a larger tech company, I was drawn to the culture of ownership that Bliss Point offered. 

It was clear they were investing in not only its products and main line of business but also in its employees.”

 

I initially accepted a role as a media operations specialist. As my professional interests and curiosity shifted toward finance, the company encouraged and supported my transition to the finance team. From the very beginning, our management team has set the precedent of an open-door policy, where interdepartmental and multi-level collaboration is the norm. 

Finally, Bliss Point’s culture of ownership — having a true feeling that you are contributing to the growth of the business — has remained since I first joined in 2018.

 

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for an open role on your team?

First, I would encourage anyone thinking about applying for an open role to reach out directly to any team member. We love to chat about the company and future opportunities with prospective applicants. Second, I would encourage anyone thinking about applying to envision how their skill set would best apply to the company, and keep in mind that prior media and advertising experience is not a requirement.

 

 

 

 

Redgate Software provides software for professionals working on the Microsoft Data Platform. Lead Software Engineer Julia Hayward has been with Redgate Software for the past eight years. 

What drew you to Redgate software? 

One of the great things about Redgate, particularly as it’s grown, is that we have developed clear career paths for those who want them, but also have created the flexibility to allow and encourage people to grow in the way that suits them and follow a non-linear path. I personally found being a manager a tough nut to crack, and having a route to progress that appealed to me was crucial in my staying so long.

One of the great things about Redgate is that we have developed clear career paths for those who want them.”

 

When I was last looking for a new role, I interviewed at a number of companies, but Redgate clearly had the strongest culture — both as articulated to me through the interview process, and as experienced by me personally. 

During the technical round of the interview, the engineers took me to lunch in the building with one of the teams, and there was a buzz about the place that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Yes, the canteen was a significant draw — not because of the free food, but because of the way it acted as a focal point for everyone to socialize and draw off each other’s enthusiasm. It was clear that Redgate was an environment that wanted everyone to succeed, internal alignment was strong, and people enjoyed being there.

Technical people often get an itch to try new things, experiment and broaden their horizons. I certainly have many times. Redgate strongly encourages everyone to keep their skills polished and, most importantly, generously provides time and resources to do so. Added to the ability to rotate around different tech stacks and products, it means you can scratch that itch without having to look elsewhere. 

 

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for an open role on your team?

Just go for it! We’re not looking for a hero who will come in and solve all our problems for us. Being hungry to learn, to explore unfamiliar code, to become part of a really cohesive team that supports each other and celebrates successes together, is far more valuable. For our part, we want to create an environment in which you’ll thrive, have fun, develop strong bonds with colleagues and be contributing great things from the start. If that’s what appeals to you, we’ll make the process of joining as easy as we can, and we’ll help you to grow throughout your time with us — whether that takes you to higher levels internally or somewhere else.