Building the Best Workplace Culture in Tech That Actually Retains Talent (Beyond Perks)

In the race to attract and retain the best software engineers, tech companies often lean on perks—free lunches, flexible hours, trendy offices. Yet, these surface-level benefits don’t guarantee loyalty or engagement. In fact, an employee is 10.4 times more likely to quit due to a toxic workplace than low pay. What truly defines the best workplace culture in tech goes far deeper than perks: it’s about purpose, belonging, and growth.

A healthy workplace culture builds alignment between business goals and developer experience. It’s the reason elite engineers choose to stay, collaborate, and innovate within your organization rather than jumping to the next offer. In a world where demand for specialized IT roles keeps rising, culture has become a company’s strongest retention strategy.

At BEON.tech, we’ve seen firsthand how focusing on people—not just perks—creates resilient, high-performing teams. In this article, we’ll explore:

• How to build a strong workplace culture that helps tech teams thrive,
• How to reduce attrition and 
• Strategies that will place your company as a destination for top-tier talent.

So if you are looking to build a positive workplace culture, this is the article for you. Let’s get started. 

Why Creating a Strong Workplace Culture Matters for Tech Teams

In IT, having a clear company culture strategy isn’t optional anymore. A strong, healthy workplace culture is one of the most valuable assets a business can build to retain top software engineers and help them grow. But crafting that kind of culture requires more than competitive pay or trendy perks.

Over the past few years, even well-funded tech companies have seen their best talent walk away — largely for two reasons:

• A generational shift toward job mobility: According to the Harvey Nash Global Tech Talent & Salary Report, 45% of tech professionals plan to leave their current roles within the year.
• Unemployment in tech remains historically low. As of mid-2025, the IT unemployment rate sat at 2.8%.

With such high demand, world-class engineers have more options than ever, and culture, not compensation, often determines whether they stay.

That’s why strengthening your workplace and culture remains key. When employees feel supported, trusted, and valued, retention and long-term growth naturally follow. Adopting a people-first culture—one that prioritizes well-being, transparency, and development—helps teams stay engaged and committed to your mission.

However, company culture can’t be manufactured. As Harvard Business Review notes, “culture doesn’t shift because a new narrative is introduced — it shifts when systems change.” The study found that when leaders improved how they led — how they ran meetings, gave feedback, made decisions, and handled challenges — employee trust scores rose by 26% on average.

Notably, research shows that surface-level perks like free lunches, wellness apps, or casual Fridays had little effect on engagement. What truly moved the needle were system-level investments such as:

• Leadership and manager coaching
• Conflict-resolution and feedback training
• Clear communication structures

These deeper changes reduced burnout by 22% and increased employees’ sense of fairness and confidence in leadership.

In short, the best workplace culture in tech isn’t built on perks—it’s built on purpose, trust, and action. Companies that live their values, not just talk about them, are the ones that attract and retain exceptional engineering talent.

The Business Case for a Strong Workplace Culture

A strong culture isn’t just “nice to have.” It directly impacts performance and retention.

• Revenue growth: Companies with strong cultures see 30% higher revenue compared to those without.
• Productivity and profitability: Teams that share aligned values and trust each other are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable (McKinsey).
• Retention: A positive, people-first culture keeps top talent engaged and committed, reducing costly turnover and strengthening long-term performance.

The Shift of Expectations: What a Strong Tech Workplace Culture Really Means in 2025

The concept of a “great place to work” has evolved. The old model of perks — casual Fridays, office games, and free snacks — is outdated. Modern tech professionals now prioritize flexibility, purpose, and growth. The move from surface-level perks to meaningful benefits reflects a deeper change in how employees define value.

Where companies once advertised on-site perks, today’s workers expect: 

• Remote and hybrid flexibility
• Well-being support
• Career development opportunities

This shift mirrors a broader trend in which employees seek alignment with organizational purpose rather than convenience.

Why Flexibility & Autonomy Expands the Talent Pool

During the pandemic, global hiring surged as companies embraced remote-first policies. Recruiters could cast a wide net and onboard talent from nearly anywhere. This flexibility unlocked several key advantages:

• Diversity of perspectives: Broader recruitment introduced cultural and professional diversity that fueled innovation.
• Access to niche skills: Remote hiring helped fill specialized roles in areas like cybersecurity, AI, and DevOps that were difficult to source locally.
• Shorter time-to-hire: Larger candidate pipelines allowed faster placements and project delivery.

However, this progress is being challenged. According to LinkedIn’s Global Hiring Report, remote job applications increased by 146%, while remote job postings dropped by 46%. As hybrid and in-office models make a comeback, geographic restrictions are shrinking the available talent pool.

Research from the University of Pittsburgh shows that:

• Companies enforcing return-to-office (RTO) mandates reduce their available talent pool by 50%, and these firms take 23% longer to fill positions.
• Nearly 46% of qualified candidates won’t apply to jobs requiring full-time office presence.
• Regional competition intensifies in saturated markets such as San Francisco, Austin, and New York, where employers now fight over the same limited candidates.

In contrast, 77% of recruiting professionals say flexible hybrid models — where employees choose when to work in-office — have a positive impact, expanding applicant reach and strengthening employer brand. Even office-first or fixed-hybrid approaches outperform rigid setups, with 39% and 46% of recruiters, respectively, reporting better outcomes. The conclusion is clear: the more autonomy companies give employees over how and where they work, the easier it becomes to attract, engage, and retain top talent. Flexibility isn’t a trend — it’s a pillar of the best workplace culture in tech in 2025.

Well-Being Support: A Core Pillar of a Healthy Tech Workplace Culture

In today’s high-pressure software industry, employee well-being is no longer a soft benefit. Developers facing tight deadlines, distributed teams, and continuous product cycles need more than flexibility to perform their best; they need a healthy workplace culture that actively supports their mental and physical health.

Research proves the impact. According to the Global Wellness Institute’s, organizations that embed well-being into their culture report up to 20% higher productivity and 10% better retention rates compared to those that treat wellness as an afterthought.

Research shows just how costly poor mental health can be for organizations. The numbers speak for themselves:

• In 2022–2023, around 875,000 workers in the UK experienced work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.
• That resulted in 17.1 million lost workdays.
• The financial hit is huge — employers lose between £42 and £45 billion every year due to absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover related to poor mental health.
• On the flip side, for every £1 invested in mental health programs, companies see an average return of £5.

At BEON.tech, we’ve seen first-hand how structured well-being initiatives can make a difference. By integrating mental-health resources, flexible scheduling, and regular check-ins into our workflows, we’ve achieved retention rates well below industry averages and built a workplace where developers feel genuinely cared for. In our experience, when well-being is treated as a business priority, engagement, trust, and innovation follow.

A healthy workplace culture doesn’t just make people happier — it makes companies more resilient, creative, and ready for what’s next.

Career Development: The Growth Engine Behind Retention

In an industry that evolves as fast as technology itself, career stagnation is one of the biggest risks to employee engagement. Top engineers want more than good salaries — they want to learn, grow, and see a clear trajectory for their professional future. Companies that ignore this reality are the ones losing their best talent.

The data speaks for itself. According to HR Executive, 94% of employees say they would stay longer if their company invested in their career development. The Work Institute’s 2024 Retention Report reinforces this, finding that employees with clear growth opportunities have 34% higher retention than those without. And globally, that 63% of employers cite skills gaps as a critical barrier to business performance — underlining how essential upskilling and reskilling have become.

At BEON.tech, career development isn’t a perk — it’s part of our DNA. We design personalized growth paths for every engineer, connecting them with mentorship, advanced training, and high-impact projects that accelerate both technical and leadership skills. This people-first approach has been a key factor in our long-term success in retaining top Latin American engineers and aligning their career ambitions with client goals.

When companies invest in their people’s growth, they don’t just retain talent — they unlock potential. And that’s what truly defines the best workplace culture in tech: one where every team member can grow, contribute, and build a career that matters.

How to Create a Company Culture that Attracts & Retains your Best Tech People

Ready to create a positive team culture that supports your tech talent? Here’s how to level up your company and retain your best software engineers:

• Define and communicate your values and mission;
• Create a growth-focused and learning-based workplace culture;
• Build a community and encourage open communication;
• Recognize and empower your software engineers for a better work environment;
• Monitor key metrics and iterate on your workplace safety culture.

Let’s dive into each.

Define & Communicate your Values and Mission

If you haven’t already, define a mission and values that resonate with employee engagement. Your software engineers need a reason to care, and a true mission with clear values can give it to them.

Communicating and living by your company values can:

• Strengthen your culture
• Build your teams
• Motivate your teams

Pro Tip: Get your software developers into fun Slack channels. At BEON.tech we have a channel for favorite books and movies. We also have a spanish-portuguese channel where team members answer weekly questions in their native languages. It’s helped our language learners practice their skills and is a great way to get to know each other.

Create a Growth & Learning-Based Workplace Culture

As software engineers grow in their careers, they avoid companies with rigid structures and predetermined career ladders. These stifle exploration and put them through bureaucratic hell to get things approved to advance in their careers. A people-first culture, however, embraces flexibility and promotes development by allowing engineers to chart their own paths.

Personalize professional development to each engineer’s interests and goals. Be adaptable and responsive to their unique needs and expectations. If a developer is passionate about a specific tech stack, like DevOps, give them the room and resources to explore and lead in those areas.

Pro Tip: Hire teams of talent experience specialists to own the experience of your software engineers. At BEON.tech, we call ours Talent Experience Managers (TEMs). They create career plans tailored to each engineer with goals, feedback, and development in mind. We set a minimum of 2-3 years for someone to be in the company and move into a leadership role.

Build your Community & Communicate Openly

Communication is key to getting things done and making your people feel comfortable in their new teams. But building a community can be tough, especially if you’re a large company with multiple offices. Your crew may never meet in person.

For software engineers, being connected to a network of people working on similar tasks is crucial. It helps them learn from each other and share experiences. A great way to do this is to have your own software engineers mentor and guide those who need it. This way, your best people can help others and everyone can lift each other up, which is key when considering how to create a healthy work culture focused on collaboration and growth.

Pro Tip: Plan events that promote positive team culture by encouraging idea-sharing and fostering personal connections among teammates. We host an Ambassadors’ Week at our Buenos Aires office that brings all our Latin American software engineers together. It’s a great way to build connections and get everyone working together in workshops.

Recognize & Empower your Software Engineers

A senior software engineer can make a huge impact on your product or service. Give them ownership to make them care. Instead of treating them like contractors, make them feel like part of the team and an extension of your business.

Pro Tip: Develop a relationship with your software engineers that includes them in the business as decision-makers. Have them work directly with your stakeholders, present to them, and gather feedback to iterate and improve. Our developers are responsible for their projects and present to stakeholders regularly to get feedback and improve.

Establish Feedback Loops for a Better Work Environment

Feedback is key to building strong relationships within your teams and helping everyone learn and grow.

Do semester reviews to set goals and create actionable plans with the right resources to get there. Also, let your developers play with new tech and frameworks whenever possible. It helps them learn and adapt.

Pro Tip: Budget for training or subscription to sites like Udemy with tech courses. As part of our people first culture, our software engineers take courses, get certifications, and attend workshops and we have Talent Experience Managers (TEMs) to help them with their plans and provide coaching. We also focus on soft skills like time management and prioritization with training and workshops.

Foster Flexibility and Well-Being

In today’s tech landscape, remote work and flexible hours are no longer perks — they’re baseline expectations. Top engineers expect autonomy over how and where they work, along with tangible support for their mental and physical health. A company that fosters flexibility and well-being builds not only trust but also long-term loyalty.

• Establish clear remote work policies to ensure alignment and prevent miscommunication among distributed teams.
• Offer mental health support and stipends to make wellness resources accessible to everyone, regardless of location.
• Set minimum PTO expectations to actively encourage rest and recovery — unlimited PTO policies can sometimes backfire, leading employees to take less time off.
  

Pro tip: At BEON.tech, flexibility and well-being are integral to our culture. We host “Wellness April,” a month dedicated to promoting health and balance through a series of webinars, fitness challenges, and in-office activities. By giving our teams space to recharge and connect, we strengthen engagement, reduce burnout, and reinforce the foundation of a healthy workplace culture where people thrive.

Measure Key Metrics to Iterate your Safety Culture

Building a strong culture is only half the job — the real challenge is knowing whether it’s actually working. Relying on gut feelings or anecdotal feedback isn’t enough. The most successful tech companies use data-driven insights to measure the health of their workplace culture and identify where to improve.

Key metrics to monitor include:

• Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS): A straightforward way to gauge employee loyalty and satisfaction by asking how likely team members are to recommend your company as a great place to work.
• Retention Rate (especially for top performers): Track whether your most skilled engineers and key contributors are staying — or quietly leaving.
• Employee Referral Rate: A strong indicator of trust and engagement. When employees actively recommend your company to others, it’s a sign they believe in your culture.
• Productivity & Engagement Metrics: Measure team effectiveness through data points like project velocity, feature delivery speed, and participation in internal initiatives or wellness programs.
• Salary Competitiveness Ratio: Compensation is a major factor in job satisfaction. Pew Research found 63% of employees quit in 2021 because they felt underpaid. Check your salaries against industry standards to attract and retain top talent.

Pro Tip: Offer development programs, ensure competitive salaries and implement referral rewards. At BEON.tech we have a multi-tiered rewards program and referral bonuses to keep software engineers engaged and satisfied. Invest in these areas to build a great tech team culture.

By consistently tracking these metrics, leaders can spot early warning signs of disengagement and take meaningful action. The best workplace culture in tech is built not just on values but on continuous feedback and measurable progress.

Hiring World-Class Software Engineers Takes Too Much Time? We’re Here to Help!

In this post, I walked you through why building a strong workplace culture is so important for attracting and retaining your best software engineers. However, I know it can be overwhelming to build a robust culture in the workplace without enough time and resources. That’s where we come in at BEON.tech.

As a top IT staffing agency, we connect the top 1% of software engineers from Latin America with elite U.S. companies. But we don’t just introduce you, we help you make it work. Our Talent Experience Management™  (TEM) Framework ensures:

• End-to-end onboarding from paperwork to setting up equipment–we get your engineers ready for success!
• Feedback loops to keep your software engineers performing at their best.
• Bi-annual reviews to plan out clear career paths for the next semester.

We help you hire the best and build a workplace culture that helps them grow. If you’re interested in learning more, schedule a free consultation today!