The New Rules to Recruit and Retain
From Design Nerds Anonymous by ThinkLab and SURROUND
April 9, 2026 · 42 min · Season 10 · Episode 3
About this episode
Amanda Schneider discusses recruitment and retention with guests Grace Snelling and Megan Detratto, exploring organizational design and generational perspectives.
In Season 10, Episode 3 of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider builds on last week’s trust conversation by tackling the next logical shift: recruitment and retention. She’s joined by two voices with beautifully opposing (and complementary) lenses: Grace Snelling , editorial assistant at Fast Company covering design, branding, and cultural shifts with a front-row Gen Z perspective, and Megan Detratto, partner and co-founder of TOKONEXT who’s spent 20+ years advising AEC firms on talent acquisition, succession, and next-gen leadership. Together, they explore why “less loyal” may be the wrong diagnosis, how cynicism is rising across generations, and what it looks like to design organizations people want to grow inside—not escape from. Links Mentioned: Grab your copy of Work for What's Next . Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends. Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. Book Amanda to speak This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is presented by Mannington Commercial, THE MART &…
People in this episode
Host: Amanda Schneider
Guests: Grace Snelling, Megan Detratto
Topics covered
- recruitment
- retention
- organizational design
- Gen Z perspective
- talent acquisition
- leadership
Keywords
- recruitment
- retention
- organizational design
- Gen Z
- talent acquisition
- leadership
- cynicism
Sponsors
Mannington Commercial, THE MART, NeoCon, The Mav Group
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Fast Company, TOKONEXT, ThinkLab
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