Supply Leaders: Are Your Team Members Interviewing Elsewhere?
One in four candidates has been interviewed for a role outside their current organisation in the past three months.
In our recently released 2025 Salary Survey and Market Report, a key insight that stood out was the level of job-seeking activity among supply chain professionals. A striking 25% of candidates reported attending an interview in the past three months. While this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re planning to leave their current role immediately, it certainly signals an increased openness to new opportunities.
So, what can you do with this knowledge as a supply chain leader?
If you manage a team of 12 people, statistically, 3 to 4 of them have likely been to an interview in the past quarter. A sobering thought.
The first takeaway? Always manage with the mindset that someone on your team could be considering a move. This helps you stay proactive, ask the right questions, and focus on meaningful retention strategies.
Don’t assume that just because there are no visible issues, your employees are satisfied. Engagement, fulfillment, and alignment with growth opportunities are often silent signals—and if you’re not asking, you might be missing them.
Below are some easy and free practical initiatives that you can implement that might assist with retention:
Peer Learning Sessions:
Encourage employees to share their expertise with their peers through short presentations or informal discussions.
Rotate the responsibility so everyone gets a chance to teach and learn.
Mentorship Programs:
Pair up less experienced employees with more experienced ones to facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development.
Mentorship can be informal, with regular check-ins and guidance.
Online Resources:
Utilise free online courses, webinars, and tutorials available on platforms like Coursera, edX, and YouTube.
Encourage employees to take advantage of these resources and share what they learn with the team.
Book Clubs:
Start a book club focused on professional development books. Employees can read and discuss key takeaways and how they can be applied to their work.
Choose books that are available for free through libraries or online resources.
Role-Playing Exercises:
Conduct role-playing exercises to simulate real-life scenarios, helping employees practice and improve their problem-solving and communication skills.
Use scenarios relevant to your industry and common challenges faced by your team.
Lunch and Learn:
Organise informal training sessions during lunch breaks where employees can learn about different topics.
Invite internal or external speakers to share their knowledge and experiences.
Job Shadowing:
Allow employees to shadow colleagues in different roles to gain a better understanding of various functions within the organisation.
This can help employees develop new skills and appreciate the work of their peers.
Feedback Sessions:
Create a culture of continuous feedback where employees can give and receive constructive feedback.
Use these sessions to identify areas for improvement and provide guidance on how to develop those skills.
Project-Based Learning:
Assign employees to work on special projects that require them to learn new skills or apply existing ones in new ways.
Encourage collaboration and innovation through these projects.
Internal Newsletters:
Create an internal newsletter that includes articles, tips, and resources for professional development.
Encourage employees to contribute content and share their insights.
Retaining your best people doesn’t always require expensive programs or sweeping changes—it starts with small, consistent actions that show you’re invested in their growth. In today’s competitive supply chain landscape, proactive leadership is your greatest advantage. Stay curious, stay connected, and never underestimate the impact of simple, meaningful engagement.
To better understand the market forces shaping your teams and plan your next steps with confidence, access the full 2025 Supply Chain Salary Survey and Market Report: