> Markdown version of [/events/world-congress-2026-europe-virtual-stage/sessions/1554-how-to-retain-talent](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe-virtual-stage/sessions/1554-how-to-retain-talent). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

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# How to retain talent when you can’t pay more


- **Event:** World Congress 2026 Europe - Virtual Stage

## Description

In many European companies, salary budgets are capped, but expectations are not.
On this session I can show how companies retain critical talent without increasing fixed costs, by redesigning incentives, recognition, growth, and reward logic. With smarter reward architecture and prioritization.

## Speaker

### [Iryna Shulha](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@iryna-shulha)

Global Total Rewards Expert


## Related talks at this congress

- [Why Eastern Europe Has More Women Developers — and What the West Can Learn](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe-virtual-stage/sessions/1643-why-eastern-europe) — Adela Georgescu
- [Selling Your Technical Vision | For Leaders and the Engineers Who Want to Become Them](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe-virtual-stage/sessions/1597-selling-your) — Anastasiia Shabalina
- [Why Your Best Mediors Never Become Seniors (And How to Fix It)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe-virtual-stage/sessions/1652-why-your-best) — Christoph Marckx
- [Values That Don’t End as a Poster: A Discovery Sprint](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe-virtual-stage/sessions/1633-values-that-don-t) — Olga Dobzhynska