Firstly hello, this is the first time I write in the forums, but I have been using SQLServerCentral as a resource for some time now.

I am currently the manager for the software department, but due to our size I also do a significant amount of development myself. I have to deal a lot with upper management as well as manage the rest of the development team.

I can certainly see great value at retention; I will certainly do not want to lose any of my people and I know that the company at the moment cannot handle any loss of personnel in the software department. From a personal perspective I think working longer at a good environment is highly beneficial; I am in that stage in my life where I am planning to start a family, which comes with expenses and possibly a hit on performance from having more responsibilities at home and a steady employer with understanding is what will allow me to feel safe about moving forward with my plans.

As a bottom line, I think that it is best for people to move while at a younger age until they find an environment that they will fit in to, but a stable environment (not necessarily one with no changes at all, but at least one with few changes and far between) is what will allow a person to mature socially. We are people after all.