What is employee turnover?

Employee turnover rates measure the number of employees who leave a company voluntarily or involuntarily within a year. The U.S. Bureau of Statistics reports that the average turnover rate in the United States is about 12% to 15% annually.

Factors that can cause employee turnover?

Factors that cause employees to leave an organization include:

  • Favoritism—the practice of giving special treatment to some employees over others can lead to a negative work environment, resentment and low morale.
  • Intimidation—an organization driven by fear and compulsion will have a hard time retaining top talent. People who are able to work elsewhere will do so.
  • Micromanagement—overbearing supervision is unproductive. It steals time from managers and wastes employee talent and energy.
  • Poor Communication—ineffective or insufficient communication can result in frustration and failure because even the best employees have a hard time reading minds and spinning wheels.
  • Lack of recognition—employees feel their contribution is not valued.
  • Sink or swim—some employees can thrive in a hands-off environment, but most want and need coaching, mentoring and support from their team and management.
  • Boredom—if an employee’s job content and environment are not interesting, he or she may look for a new position.

How can employers reduce turnover?

How can stay interviews help?

Human resource directors can use stay interviews to determine general employee satisfaction, identify problems that lead to turnover, pinpoint factors leading to satisfaction, and measure satisfaction with immediate supervisors. This insight can be used to improve overall business effectiveness as well as reduce employee turnover.

See also

Additional resources

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