Have you ever lost weeks of development because that senior dev who knew the entire project handed in their resignation? Or seen an entire sprint compromised because the team was retraining someone for the third time that year?
Instability in IT teams isn’t just inconvenient. It stalls projects, erases critical knowledge, and creates a cycle that seems impossible to break: you hire, train for months, the person starts truly producing, and then receives a better offer. Start over.
According to CAGED data, Brazil registers the highest turnover rate in the world, with a 56% increase compared to the pre-pandemic period. Replacing an employee can cost between 50% and 200% of their annual salary, considering recruitment, selection, training, and loss of productivity.
The problem isn’t finding talent. The market has qualified developers. The real question is whether your company has mature enough processes to retain them.
How structured onboarding accelerate results
The scene is common: the developer arrives on their first day, receives a computer and the famous phrase “if you have any questions, just ask.” Three weeks later, they’re still trying to figure out which branch to use and why half the team ignores the official documentation.
According to BambooHR research, only 12% of employees think their company does a good job integrating new members. Meanwhile, the rest remain lost, insecure, and open to offers from companies that seem more organized.
Improvised onboarding is a waste of productive time and invested money. When someone takes six months to start truly delivering because no one structured a process, your company is paying for months of zero productivity.
How mature processes solve this problem
Companies that take onboarding seriously have the process divided into clear steps, each one with specific goals.
- First Days: Cultural Integration
Introduction to organizational culture, company values, complete development environment setup, access configured before arrival. The developer doesn’t waste time requesting permissions or waiting for tool releases. - First Weeks: Close Support
Pair programming on real tasks, educational code reviews, always-open communication channels. The person learns by doing, with an experienced colleague alongside. - First Months: Ownership
Tasks start simple and gain complexity as the developer demonstrates mastery. Structured feedback every 30 days, quick adjustments when something isn’t working.
A Glassdoor study shows that organizations with an effective onboarding process have employees who are 50% more productive.
Here’s the differentiator: companies specialized in team allocation already have this plan running. When you receive a team from NextAge, for example, these professionals have already gone through structured onboarding. They arrive prepared, aligned with best practices, and ready to absorb your project’s context.
How to keep an IT Talent?
There are some points that should be considered to keep an IT employee on your team. Check out the main ones now.
- Continuous technical skills’ development
Developers breathe technology. They want to learn new frameworks, experiment with modern tools, earn certifications. Companies that invest in this, with budget, dedicated study time, and access to quality courses, create more capable and loyal professionals. - To have a career
Developers want to know: what’s the next level? What do I need to do to get there? How long does it take? Companies with clear tracks and objective criteria retain better because they provide future perspective. - Good culture
Mature teams act on feedback quickly and respect work-life balance. This matters especially because IT professionals typically have high workloads, which can even affect mental health. - Structured recognition
It’s about giving visibility to work done, celebrating important deliveries, creating an environment where each person’s contribution is really valued. - Good Infrastructure
Good equipment, licensed software, modern tools. Nobody wants to work with outdated equipment that crashes with every compilation.
What are the advantages of stable staff augmentation?
Traditionally it goes like this: you need a developer, you call a staff augmentation company, they send whoever’s available. The person arrives, has no real connection with the supplier, receives no development investment, and switches projects every 6-12 months.
Companies with mature processes work differently. They don’t just allocate people; they manage complete teams, with internal retention structure working even before the professional enters your project.
- Internal retention processes: the partner company has strong culture, invests in career paths, recognizes deliveries, offers continuous development. The professional feels part of something bigger than the specific project.
- Managed replacements: if someone needs to leave, there’s planned transition, updated documentation, structured handover. You don’t wake up to a message saying “my last day is Friday” with a project and nobody to run it.
- Teams that evolve together: professionals grow within the same company, share culture, master internal methodologies. Over time, they create a sense of belonging that drastically reduces turnover.
- People management: organizational climate, regular feedback, internal conflict resolution, technical development, all this becomes the partner’s responsibility. You focus on architecture, code quality, and delivery.
NextAge’s staff augmentation: stable and efficient squads
NextAge created its own staff augmentation process precisely to escape traditional allocation problems. It’s not just sending developers; it’s delivering stable, engaged, and productive teams, with all people management happening simultaneously.
Our selection is rigorous. Teams arrive with technical and cultural fit already validated. It’s not just whoever’s available; it’s the right profile for the right project.
Onboarding is dual: internal integration at NextAge (culture, processes, best practices) and then integration into the client’s context (business rules, tech stack, team dynamics).
Each team has active monitoring from Tech Leads who track climate, performance, and potential problems before they become crises. Management isn’t reactive; it’s preventive.
Retention is a strategic priority. NextAge invests in continuous development, promotes internal events, maintains a strong technical community. Allocated professionals feel they’re part of a company that cares about their growth.
Additionally, continuity is guaranteed by structured replacement policy. If a professional needs to leave, the transition is planned and the position is filled without leaving the project uncovered.
This means you don’t manage vacations, sick leaves, 1:1 feedback, or raise requests. You don’t need to create career paths for people who aren’t your employees. You don’t deal with departures that halt entire projects at the worst possible time.
Learn about our Staff Augmentation model and see how we can help your business.
