The tactic that worked best was a simple midyear stay interview, not incentives alone. We asked two questions: "What's making this year harder than it should be?" and "What would make next semester feel sustainable?" Then we followed up with a short written re-commitment note summarizing what we heard and one concrete change we'd make. What kept teachers was feeling listened to and seeing action, even if the change was small. That follow-through mattered more than stipends.
We tried two things that were extremely helpful in those first 12 to 18 months, when the shine wears off and you face the reality of work. First, we made our review into a 'stay interview.' We weren't talking about the performance of the person; we were talking about the work. The script had three major questions: 'What did you do last week that you were excited about?' 'What's one small thing that gets in your way every day?' And one more optional question is 'Why did you join us, and what about your work are you getting less of than we promised you?' It's a trust-building exercise that helps you find the 'pebbles in the shoe' before they turn into a resignation. Gallup asked former employees who left detracting companies whether their company could have done something to keep them there. More than half said yes. And this is how you find out what 'something' is. The other thing we tried was a no-questions-asked learning stipend. On the belief that everyone should take responsibility for their own professional growth, instead of slotting everyone in to a form-fit learning program, each person is given a pot of money each year for any book or course or conference that they decide helps them do their jobs better. Learning development isn't just about the skills but about investing in their autonomy and mastery! When you let people own their learning related to your company, their commitment goes up. LinkedIn says that 94% of them will stay at their company longer if it invests in their career. We entirely validate that point of view.