Attracting and retaining talent: How can this be achieved?

In a tight labor market, it is no longer enough to recruit and attract talent: you also have to motivate them to stay in the long term. Employer brand, corporate culture, employee experience—there are many levers you can use to attract and retain the best profiles. And it all starts with the recruitment process. How can these levers be activated in a sustainable way? Lucca shows you how to make your company a real magnet for talent.

How can you attract talent to your company?

Today's candidates are no longer just job seekers, but discerning consumers. They compare employers in the same way they compare online products.

Attracting talent therefore begins long before a job advertisement is published. The key is to build a strong and consistent employer brand, a well-maintained corporate image, and a compelling candidate experience.

Since qualified candidates are highly sought after in Switzerland, it is essential to position yourself clearly in order to attract the best profiles. The following levers are particularly effective:

• Build a strong employer brand: If you want to attract talent, you need to communicate your corporate culture authentically. Storytelling, internal videos, or employee testimonials make values visible.

• Offer a well-maintained working environment: This shows that you take the well-being of your teams seriously and shapes the first impression.

• Offer a compelling career section on your website: It should be clear, optimized for mobile devices, up-to-date, and informative.

• Publish attractive job ads: Clearly define tasks, highlight additional benefits, and present the work environment transparently.

• Ensure a fast and smooth recruitment process: Long decision-making times can deter qualified candidates.

• Maintain a good reputation in the market: Reviews on Glassdoor, employee testimonials, or certifications significantly influence the perception of potential talent.

Good to know: Clearly highlight your company's unique selling points. Every detail counts when it comes to convincing talent in the long term.

How can Generation Z talent be attracted?

Generation Z, i.e., young professionals born after 1997, is a new generation of talent with its own expectations. Their view of work is strongly influenced by social developments, the digital environment, and a pronounced need for meaning.

An attractive salary alone is not enough. Companies must credibly live their values and offer an employee experience that meets the expectations of this generation.

How to win over young talent:

• Convey meaning: Generation Z doesn't just want a job. They want to understand the impact their work has on society and specifically seek out companies whose values align with their own.

• Promote flat hierarchies: Rigid management is a thing of the past. Young talent wants to develop in a flexible environment where communication is open, responsibility is shared, and their ideas are actually heard.

• Focus on the quality of working conditions: Flexible working hours, home office, coworking spaces, or health initiatives—the quality of working conditions is a clear priority for this generation.

• Promote diversity and inclusion: Equal opportunities, respect for differences, and appreciation of all profiles must be an integral part of your HR policy—and be visible in your communication.

• Adapt the selection process: Make the recruitment process transparent, dialogue-oriented, and swift so that it meets the expectations of this generation.

Good to know: If you want to attract Generation Z, you should adopt a partnership-based approach. It's not just about filling a position, but about working together to shape a project.

5 keys to retaining new talent in the long term

According to the Lucca Barometer on career expectations, compensation is the most important criterion for retention. However, there are other levers for building a lasting relationship with employees.

1. Make onboarding a success

The integration of new employees should be understood as an individual process. Be open, clear, and accessible from the very first contact. Prepare the workplace, organize a team meeting, and plan a structured integration program with insights into different areas, mentoring, and regular exchanges.

Onboarding forms the basis for long-term loyalty. If this step is neglected, there is an increased risk that new employees will leave early.

Good to know: Onboarding does not only apply to new employees. In the case of internal mobility, a renewed integration process can be useful. This is referred to as crossboarding.

2. Further develop HR and management processes

HR practices and management style have a significant influence on engagement and retention. Employees rarely leave the company—they more often leave their manager.

Companies with high retention rates:

• promote participatory management with more listening and less authoritarianism;

• establish a culture of feedback;

• strengthen autonomy;

• structure dialogue formats such as development discussions, project reviews, or regular location meetings.

3. Promote internal mobility and skills development

Those who can develop themselves remain committed. A lack of prospects or routine, on the other hand, are common causes of demotivation.

To use further development specifically as a retention lever:

• promote internal mobility

• actively support transitions, for example through coaching or mentoring

• offer regular training—on site or digitally

• establish continuous feedback through 360° feedback or project reviews

In Switzerland, too, employees want to work for a company that believes in their potential and offers them a future. A well-thought-out development strategy is therefore an effective tool for long-term retention.

4. Quality of work life (QWL)

Quality of work life has become a key criterion for employees. It is not limited to individual benefits, but reflects the actual attention paid to the working environment and work-life balance.

Important levers are:

• Work organization: flexible working hours, home office, the right to be unreachable and autonomy in time management

• Framework conditions: comfortable workplaces, retreat and meeting rooms, and appropriate infrastructure

• Recognition and meaning: clear goals, visible appreciation of performance, and recognition by managers

• Health and well-being: preventing overload and offering preventive measures, such as burnout prevention

Good to know: Spending time together, team rituals, and treating each other with respect create long-term commitment.

5. Offer additional benefits and review salaries regularly

Remuneration plays a central role in commitment and retention. It is a clear sign of recognition and directly influences whether employees stay with the company.

However, in order for it to be effective, it must not be limited to the pure salary amount. What is needed is a coherent and attractive remuneration policy based on two essential pillars:

• Salary transparency, which builds trust, makes development prospects clear, and reduces frustration

• Value orientation, i.e., additional benefits that fit with the company's social or environmental convictions

In Switzerland, companies that attract talent are those that put people at the center, have a strong culture, and continuously adapt their HR practices to changing expectations. Are you ready to create a company where employees are committed and stay for the long term?