It's employee retention week!

We've all heard it.  How do you retain employees without paying them more?  Initiatives are spun up.  Personal questions are asked.  You're urged to trust that upper management has your best interests at heart.  Maybe they didn't seem to before as they were too busy dealing with the recession, but now that it's passing, they can focus on what's important.  You.  Your favorite soda or candy bar shows up on your desk as a thank you for burning the midnight oil during an off hours server upgrade and smoke test.  The statements that were used to lure you into the position in the first place are dusted off, and everyone talks about fun, stability, benefits, exciting new technology, and team spirit.  But not salary.

It's employee retention week!  Tell your manager you want a hug during your one on one and that it's worth a dollar to you, so she better schedule more of them if she wants to match that $5K raise the firm down the street offered you.  Tell her a hug from her manager will net her $2 toward your goal.  And assure her it's ok -  the HR policies allow personal contact for at least a second or two to encourage retention.