As insurers and other companies explore ways to keep and nurture valuable employees, they may want to focus their energies on more than just the future leaders.

Executives Career Systems International, a consulting and training firm that help companies keep and grow talent, assert in a Harvard Business Review article that companies would also gain by targeting their employment retention efforts beyond the future leaders, middle management and “indispensable senior leaders” typically focused upon.

Companies should not forget about essential experts. According to the article, these folks often aren’t managers, but are well-versed in R&D, technology and other areas that can help a company become more efficient, develop products or craft corporate strategy.

Customer service experts are also worthy of employee retention programs, the article states, because they are in areas that identify new customers and ensure the retention of existing ones.

There are also “critical” outside contractors, according to the article. While these folks are not employees per se, they help a company function in areas including research and development and marketing. The article cautions that these folks are not traditional independent contractors, but “free agents” that have unique skills a company doesn’t have but may need in order to grow and evolve.

Click here to read the full Harvard Business Review article: “The 3 Essential Jobs That Most Retention Programs Ignore.”