How to retain your data scientist during a merger: 5 tips

Data scientists are a hot commodity, sitting at no. 1 on Glassdoor’s Best Jobs in America list for 2016, 2017, and 2018. Demand for these professionals has also boomed: Job postings for data scientists on Indeed.com rose 75% from January 2015 to January 2018.

Data science is a multifaceted profession involving computer programming, data visualization, artificial intelligence (AI), mathematics, database administration, and business intelligence—to name a few skillsets. The main value for data scientists in business lies in their ability to interpret data. “Nearly every company now has the ability to collect data, and the amount of data is growing larger and larger,” explained TechRepublic’s Alison DeNisco Rayome. “This has led to a higher demand for employees with specific skills who can effectively organize and analyze this data to glean business insights.”

Unfortunately, the demand for data scientists is surpassing the available supply. And many of the emerging workers don’t have the skillset necessary for positions, according to PwC. And data scientists who do have the necessary skills can be difficult to retain.

Retaining data science talent is difficult under normal circumstances, but in the event of a merger or acquisition, the challenge is even greater. “Acquisitions are a quick way to obtain AI expertise, which, at this point, is very scarce,” said Jeff Loucks, executive director of Deloitte’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Center. “When we think about what data scientists want to avoid, it’s things that tend to come along with acquisitions.”

Mergers completely alter the dynamic of a business, often diminishing the original goals and strategies of the acquired company. Data scientists are extremely affected by their work environment, according to a recent Deloitte study co-authored by Loucks, and business mergers can amplify problems that already exist, or create new ones, making them more likely to seek work elsewhere.

Here are five ways to retain your data scientists during and after a merger.

Office politics are the biggest contributing factor in retaining data scientists, according to Loucks. The concept of “office politics” refers to employees’ concerns with job security and promotions—worries that can be exacerbated during an acquisition.

“Many AI workers are at ‘millennial-friendly’ start-ups, and fully 60 percent of them say they do not have to deal with office politics in their current jobs,” the study stated. “Of course, integrating an acquisition can create just the sort of uncertainty and ‘office politics’ that send data scientists heading for the exits. ‘Where are we going? Who’s going to be our boss? How come he’s a VP now?'”

Data scientists don’t put up with these hostile work environments and aren’t afraid to take their expertise elsewhere, Loucks said.