Why Employee Loyalty in IT Is Becoming Rare, and Why Ferranti Is Proud to Be Different 

In today’s IT industry, employee retention has quietly become one of the strongest indicators of company culture. While many organizations celebrate rapid growth, flashy perks, or endless hiring campaigns, there is one metric that says far more about the health of a company: 

How long do people actually choose to stay? 

At Ferranti, we are incredibly proud to say that many of our colleagues stay with us for years, sometimes even decades. Further in this article, we’ll share a few examples of team members whose long careers at Ferranti reflect the strong culture. 

At Ferranti, a total of 87 employees across the company have been with us for more than 10 years. 

The reality of employee retention in the IT industry 

The tech sector is known for innovation, speed, and opportunity, but also for high turnover and growing dissatisfaction. 

Recent global research shows: 

• 1 in 3 tech professionals changed jobs within the past two years.  

• The average tenure of IT specialists is often only 2–3 years.  

• 40% of IT employees say they left a company because of a lack of flexibility.  

• 43% of IT professionals quit due to missing career growth opportunities.  

• Heavy workloads, long hours, tight deadlines, and unsupportive management remain among the top reasons for stress and burnout in tech.  

• Studies also show that toxic workplace culture and poor leadership continue to be leading reasons employees resign.  

And perhaps the most telling statistic of all: 74% of organizations say they are worried about attracting and retaining tech talent.  

In other words, retention has become one of the biggest HR and employer branding challenges in the entire industry. 
 
Sources: link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4, link 5, link 6. 

Why long-term employees matter more than ever 

In employer branding, companies often focus heavily on attracting talent. But the real question candidates increasingly ask is: 

“Do people actually stay there?” 

Long-term employees create something that no recruitment campaign can manufacture: credibility. 

When employees stay for many years, it signals: 

• psychological safety  

• healthy leadership  

• sustainable work-life balance  

• opportunities for growth  

• meaningful collaboration  

• trust in the company’s future  

Examples from our colleagues

At Ferranti, we believe one of the reasons behind this loyalty is our people-first culture and our flat organizational structure. Titles matter less than collaboration, and everyone is approachable: from new starters to leadership. People are encouraged to speak openly, share ideas, ask questions, and genuinely connect with one another. That accessibility creates trust, and trust creates long-term relationships. 

What also makes Ferranti special is how often professional relationships turn into lasting personal connections. A beautiful example is Gemma Stacey, who recently joined the team, and Alex Bongers, they had worked together more than 10 years ago. In the energy and utilities sector, it truly is a small world. People reconnect, cross paths again, and often rediscover the same spark that made working together meaningful in the first place. Those long-lasting connections say a lot about the relationships people build within our industry and within Ferranti itself. 

“13 years ago, I first started working with Ferranti alongside Alex Bongers and Ian Campbell, while at a large SI consultancy partnered with them in the UK utilities space. 

ogether, we worked with clients to bring a fresh perspective to the industry – and I look back on that time incredibly fondly. It was full of collaboration, learning, big ideas, and the kind of energy that makes work genuinely fun. 

Fast forward 13 years, and somehow Alex has decided working with me again is still a good idea. This time, though, I’m proud to be part of the Ferranti team itself

Since returning, Ferranti has given me many things: inclusivity, trust, recognition, opportunity, and belief in my potential. But there is one opportunity they’ve given me that no other organization ever has – the opportunity to publicly share a photo of me in my 30s wearing my favorite blue dress. 

 I’m genuinely excited to be back and looking forward to what comes next.” – Gemma Stacey. 

Another story that reflects the Ferranti culture comes from our colleague Faisal Mulla.  

When Faisal Mulla joined Ferranti in 2014, he had multiple opportunities on the table. What made the difference? The professionalism, the culture, and most importantly the people he interacted with during his first project. 

Fast forward 11 years, and those same qualities continue to define his journey. From day one, Faisal has experienced a culture built on empathy, respect, and genuine care. During a particularly difficult period in his life, marked by personal loss, the support he received especially from CEO Ernst Nijkerk and the leadership team left a lasting impact. Their compassion went beyond professional boundaries, showing what it means to truly care. 

Another moment that stayed with Faisal was during a busy business trip, when COO Tom ensured he could attend Friday prayers despite a packed schedule. It’s a simple yet powerful example of what Faisal calls the “Ferranti quality”: empathy, flexibility, and respect for one another. 

That same spirit carries through everything we do from leadership to team events, where inclusion is not an afterthought, but a priority.

“At Ferranti, we don’t just work together, we support, respect, and grow together.” – Says Faisal Mulla.