In an industry where a two-year tenure is considered an achievement and job-hopping is often seen as a career accelerant, one of the most frequent questions I am asked as a team lead at Remita is deceptively simple: “How do you keep your engineers from jumping ship?”
The question reflects a wider anxiety that haunts many technology companies today. With talent in high demand and headhunters a constant presence in engineers’ inboxes, organisations find themselves locked in a perpetual battle to retain their best people. Perks are dangled, salaries are adjusted, and yet, the revolving door spins faster than ever. So, when people hear that some of our engineers have been with us for five, ten, twenty, and in some cases over thirty years, they are not just surprised; they are intrigued.
The truth is, I have asked this question myself. What compels a highly skilled software engineer to dedicate decades of their life to a single organisation? Why do people choose to stay in a profession that offers so many reasons and incentives to leave?
At first glance, the answer appears obvious: money. Competitive compensation is certainly a factor, and at Remita, we make it a priority to ensure our people are fairly and attractively rewarded for their contributions. After all, we all have responsibilities, families, and aspirations that require financial stability.
But as I looked closer, really paying attention to the choices, the conversations, and the motivations of our longest-serving engineers, I realised something more profound. While money may open the door, it is culture that keeps people from walking out of it. This revelation, though not new, is often underappreciated in its practical impact. In the relentless race to attract top-tier talent, organisations can become so preoccupied with recruitment that they neglect the quieter, deeper work of building the kind of culture that makes people want to stay.
At Remita, that culture did not materialise by chance. It was shaped deliberately and nurtured over time. It begins with the way we view autonomy. Our engineers are not task-runners; they are problem-owners. They are given real challenges and the freedom to design and execute solutions in the way they deem most effective. That kind of trust is empowering, especially for highly capable individuals who want their work to be meaningful. Autonomy is not just a management style; it is a mark of respect. It tells engineers that they are not cogs in a machine but craftspeople whose judgment is valued.
We also understand that growth should not require departure. In many organisations, the only path to advancement is a transition into management, a move that can strip technical professionals of the work they love most. At Remita, we have created parallel growth paths that allow engineers to deepen their technical expertise and rise in seniority without having to become people managers. Some of our most senior and influential team members have never led a department, but their contributions are no less strategic.
In doing so, we remove the forced trade-off between doing what you love and progressing your career.
Equally vital is our connection to purpose. The applications we build are not abstract algorithms tucked away in data centres. They touch lives. They help parents pay school fees, civil servants receive their pensions, businesses process salaries, and students access scholarships.
Our engineers do not just write code; they write stories of impact in the lives of millions. That connection to a tangible, visible purpose creates a sense of responsibility and fulfilment that transcends technical problem-solving.
Over the years, we have also cultivated a true community of practice. Technical excellence is not just rewarded; it is celebrated. Mentorship flows naturally, not as a forced HR programme, but as a cultural norm. When someone masters a concept or cracks a complex bug, others are genuinely excited to learn from them. Our engineers are part of a community where their peers challenge, support, and inspire them. That sense of belonging, to a craft and to one another, is a powerful adhesive.
Perhaps one of the most understated yet essential pillars of our culture is psychological safety. In our environment, failure is not a source of shame; it is a classroom. When an experiment does not go as planned, we analyse, learn, and iterate. Nobody’s career ends because a test script did not deliver the expected results.
When people know they can take calculated risks without fear of punishment or ridicule, creativity blossoms. Innovation thrives not in the presence of fear but in the freedom to explore.
These cultural elements are not just good for people; they are immensely good for business. Retaining talent for the long term preserves institutional knowledge that is irreplaceable.
Our veteran engineers understand the historical context behind major architectural decisions. They remember why a particular system was designed a certain way. They have cultivated enduring relationships with long-time clients. These are intangibles that cannot be replicated by even the most brilliant new hire.
There is also a unique rhythm and harmony that emerges within long-standing teams. Communication becomes effortless. Trust is implicit. There is less time spent on handovers and more on solving real problems. In contrast, teams plagued by high turnover often struggle with knowledge gaps, inconsistent processes, and the inevitable slowdowns that come with constant onboarding and offboarding.
What we have built at Remita isn’t some mythical achievement; it is entirely possible to recreate. For leaders and organisations seeking to improve their engineer retention, the pathway is not paved with gimmicks or grand gestures. It is grounded in small, consistent human choices.
It starts with listening. Truly listening. Engineers are usually very clear about what they need: autonomy, clarity, recognition, room to grow, and meaningful work. The question is whether leaders are paying attention. Too often, decisions are made based on assumptions rather than lived realities.
It also requires designing career progression frameworks that honour technical mastery. Not every engineer wants to become a manager, and those who do not should not be penalised for it. In fact, the organisations that retain their brightest minds are those that allow people to specialise and flourish on their own terms.
Linking everyday tasks to larger outcomes is another essential ingredient. When engineers see the human value of their work, they find pride in their contributions. They start to feel, quite rightly, that they are building more than software; they are building solutions that matter.
Additionally, the celebration of longevity should be a cultural feature, not a footnote. We often speak of the energy that comes with new talent, and rightly so. But there is also a rare and irreplaceable wisdom that comes from continuity. When people choose to stay, to grow, and to keep showing up year after year, they are not stagnant, they are invested. That investment deserves celebration.
Culture, ultimately, is not about free lunch or ping pong tables. It is about how people feel when they do their work. It is about trust, safety, growth, and respect. It is about creating an environment where Monday mornings are not dreaded but welcomed. It is in the way leaders speak to their teams, the way they respond to failure, and the way they show up when things get hard. My CTO, Mujib Ishola, often lightens the mood when assigning a particularly complex task with a warm, “E dey work?” – our local way of saying, “Are you good?” These small human moments, though seemingly trivial, carry enormous weight.
The tech industry has normalised constant turnover, but it does not have to be this way. Our experience at Remita proves that when you build a culture rooted in respect, purpose, and authentic human connection, engineers do not just stay for a job; they build a career. They do not merely endure the work; they take pride in it. And they do not count the years with reluctance; they celebrate them with gratitude.
So, when I am asked how we retain our engineers, my answer is always the same. Of course, money matters. But if you want people to stay, really stay, then build a culture they want to stay for. A culture that turns a job into a journey and a workplace into a second home.
The question, then, is not just whether your engineers are well-paid. It is whether your culture is worth staying for.
By Oladejo Olajide, Lead Software Engineer at Remita Payment Services Limited.
