The Secrets to Finding and Retaining Top Talent at a Time of Digital Revolution

BY Jessica Swenson | March 18, 2025

How can technology organizations attract and keep talent in an industry where employees have countless mobility options?

Dan Domenech, interim chief people officer and chief talent officer for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), spoke about some of HPE’s best practices for recruitment and retention at From Day One’s Houston conference. Sean McCrory, editor-in-chief of Houston Business Journal, moderated the conversation.

Even with its enviable attrition rate of 3–5%, HPE’s innovation and growth mean that it is constantly hiring technical, sales, and customer experience roles across 40 countries. Open roles often receive hundreds of applications, even in niche business areas. There is typically a 50/50 ratio between internal and external hires, says Domenech.

By embracing technology, the company has boosted its hiring capability and improved the candidate experience. In conjunction with a world-class talent acquisition team and external recruiting partners, HPE pairs the Phenom platform with a robust customer relationship management platform, an application status call center, and chat bots to provide a hyper-personalized digital experience for all stakeholders, says Domenech. 

Leaders also regularly review candidate feedback data to ensure an exceptional talent acquisition experience.One of CEO Antonio Neri’s top priorities in 2025 is internal mobility. Ten years ago, companies eliminated formal performance ratings to favor more frequent, informal performance management conversations. Unfortunately, this strategy did not give employees what they needed. HPE introduced quarterly success plan conversations to provide regular feedback, assess progress, and learn more about team member aspirations and development plans. The company leverages technology to support this process as well. Employees enter their existing and aspirational skill sets into HPE’s Workday-based career marketplace and use AI tools to be matched with mentors, learning opportunities, and new roles, says Domenech.

Sean McCrory, editor-in-chief of Houston Business Journal, interviewed Domenech

Another priority for HPE is leadership development. They ensure that leaders know what is expected of them through a clear framework they call the Four E’s—engage, empower, evolve, and execute. Domenech also revealed a personal passion for promoting psychological safety in the workplace, which was identified in a recent Google study as “the number one characteristic of high-performing teams.” As HPE evolves its leadership model, the company ensures that leaders listen to the employees’ voices, are inclusive, and consider the team members’ best interests in their decision-making processes. 

Despite the recent trend of companies reversing course on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, Domenech does not anticipate any changes to HPE’s practices. Recently recognized by JUST Capital as America’s Most JUST Company (for the second consecutive year), HPE is a values-based organization that will continue to be unconditionally inclusive of its employees’ diverse backgrounds, ways of thinking, and contributions. “We know that we’re better together,” Domenech said. “We need those differences to thrive and provide that innovation and service to our customers.”

A key consideration of HPE’s potential merger with Juniper Networks—beyond the typical risks of any merger—is the integration of Juniper’s 10,000 employees. HPE leadership is already planning how to onboard leaders and assimilate cultures, including an exhaustive culture study. The data shows that the individual cultures are more alike than different, enabling them to integrate the additional talent into existing HPE operations, capitalize on each company’s strengths, and maintain their values-based approach.

The advent of AI technology in the organization prompted HPE to establish a governance council that ensures ethical, responsible AI use. Additionally, Neri wants all HPE employees to have what he calls a “minor in AI,” and Domenech’s team has been a key part of this initiative, he says. They collaborated with internal partners to facilitate AI education throughout the enterprise. They are now building a comprehensive training suite to provide more specialized knowledge to technology-focused leaders and teams.

With a strong commitment to flexible working arrangements, HPE led by example during the pandemic by shifting to a remote model for anyone whose work didn’t require them to be on-site. The health and safety of on-site teams was paramount, and remote teams were provided the tools they needed to be successful outside the office. HPE has maintained its commitment to flexibility despite Neri’s belief that in-office innovation and collaboration are unmatched. He recognizes that the balance and autonomy afforded by flexible work is crucial to employee satisfaction and retention.

When asked for one piece of advice for business leaders who want to retain and engage their existing workers, Domenech replied “It all starts with culture.” He encourages sustained focus on a mission-based culture that makes people enjoy coming to work, feel confident that they will have growth and development opportunities, and know they are a part of something great.

Jessica Swenson is a freelance writer based in the Midwest. Learn more about her at jmswensonllc.com.

(Photos by Annie Mulligan for From Day One)

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