Job-hopping is often treated as a defining habit of younger workers. One survey from the World Economic Forum found that 38% of Gen Z respondents are likely to leave their positions within 12 months. Against that backdrop, HX5 points to a very different pattern among its own staff.
“Some of them have been with us 15 years,” said Margarita Howard, the company’s sole owner, CEO, and president. The Florida-based defense contractor marked its 20th anniversary in 2024, which means some employees have been there for three-quarters of its history.
Margarita Howard leads the company as its sole owner, and HX5 is both service-disabled veteran and women-owned. Most of its management team are women, many of whom hold advanced degrees.
Purpose as a Retention Tool
Howard credits the nature of the work. HX5 provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics support to NASA and the Department of Defense, and she encourages staff to feel energized by the specific programs they support, from space exploration to missions overseas.
Values matter to the newest generation of workers. Deloitte research found that 77% of Gen Z respondents see working for an employer with shared values as vital. A mission tied to national defense and space science gives HX5 a clear message to offer.
Small Changes, Steady Standards
The company has made adjustments to keep younger staff engaged. Margarita Howard said HX5 has introduced hybrid work where it makes sense and updated internal communication with instant messaging, interactive project management, and new workspace tools.
Those changes come with limits. Defense work requires strict security, and many roles depend on clearances that take months or years to obtain. Howard has said the company must maintain “very strict security standards in our environment.”
Long tenure also matters for the work itself. HX5 operates across 34 states and 90 government locations with more than 1,000 employees, and Howard values staff who know agency programs well. She has said that experience supporting NASA or the Department of Defense “is very different from experience gained working in the commercial world.” See related link for more information.
More about Margarita Howard on https://www.youngupstarts.com/2025/01/10/how-hx5-and-margarita-howard-stay-ahead-in-government-contracting-as-a-women-owned-firm/