Understanding Employee Retention

Employee retention is not about bean bags or pizza Fridays. 🍕 It’s about how people feel at work. In 2025, with all the uncertainty—layoffs, AI replacing jobs, and pressure to do more with less—people don’t stay because of perks. They stay because they feel respected, trusted, and valued. As HR professionals and leaders, here’s what really helps people stick around: ✅ Give them real chances to grow—upskilling, promotions, meaningful projects ✅ Communicate with honesty—especially during changes ✅ Show up as a human, not just a manager—listen, guide, support ✅ Don’t just talk about work-life balance—make it possible ✅ Recognize the effort, not just the result—both matter ✅ Be consistent and fair—favorites destroy trust ✅ Create a culture where belonging is real—not just on a poster ✅ Protect their mental space—cut the unnecessary pressure ✅ Stand by your team—especially during tough times People leave bad environments, not bad jobs. And they stay where they are seen, heard, and supported. Retention doesn’t need to be expensive—it needs to be empathetic. What’s one small action that helps your team feel valued? #employeeretention #leadership #workculture #HR #peopleFirst #workplacewellbeing #bestadvice #careers

There are lots of misconceptions about retention. People confuse it with perks and bonuses. The reality? It’s all and none of those things. Think about it this way: Recruiting 🟰 Offering a competitive salary and benefits to attract candidates. 💼 Onboarding 🟰 Welcoming new hires with an orientation, a team lunch, and company swag. 🎁 Leadership 🟰 Managers who provide guidance, feedback, and growth opportunities. 📈 Engagement 🟰 Recognizing employees, celebrating achievements, and making people feel valued. 🙌 Career Development 🟰 Providing training, mentorship, and clear paths for advancement. 🚀 So, where does retention come into the picture? Retention 🟰 Designing the whole employee experience — from hire to retire. 💡 Without a clear retention strategy, the rest falls apart. People will take the free lunch, grab the swag, and head for the exit. 🚪 A winning retention strategy needs: 1. Strong Leadership Commitment: 👩💼 Retention starts at the top. Leaders set the tone for culture and growth. ↳ If managers aren’t engaged, neither are their teams. 2. Ongoing Growth Opportunities: 📚 Employees who grow, stay. Invest in development programs and career mapping. ↳ No growth = no reason to stick around. 3. Recognition and Feedback: 🏆 People don’t just want a paycheck; they want to feel valued. ↳ A simple “thank you” goes a long way. 4. Work-Life Balance Support: 🌿 Burned-out employees don’t stick around. Offer flexibility and support. ↳ Happy employees are productive employees. 5. Clear Communication: 🗣 Transparency builds trust. Employees want to understand how they contribute. ↳ Silence creates doubt. Communicate often. 6. Cultural Alignment: 🌟 When employees feel aligned with company values, they stay. ↳ Hire for culture add, not just culture fit. 7. Data-Driven Adjustments: 📊 Retention is not guesswork. Track engagement, turnover rates, and feedback. ↳ If your best people are leaving, find out why. Don’t assume free snacks and ping-pong tables will keep employees. Build a culture where people don’t just show up, they stay. What’s working best for your employee retention strategy? Let me know in the comments ⬇️ _______ ♻️ Repost to help others create a thriving corporate culture. 🔔 Follow Sharon Grossman for daily leadership, burnout, and retention strategies.

➡️Retention Starts at the Offer—Not at the Exit Interview. You can’t retain employees once they’ve already decided to leave. Yet, most companies only focus on retention when it’s too late. Throwing more money at a departing employee doesn’t work—because once they’ve mentally checked out, they’ll always have one foot out the door. You can’t buy loyalty. When a high performer leaves, you don’t just lose a seat to fill. You lose institutional knowledge, client relationships, trust, and future leadership potential. The cost? Up to 200% of their salary—and an even bigger hit to morale, productivity, and culture. Remaining employees take on extra work, stress rises, and engagement drops. Yet too many companies treat retention as damage control instead of a competitive advantage. ➡️The Business Case for Retention ◾Turnover costs 33%-200% of an employee's salary—with leadership and technical roles costing the most. (SHRM) ◾Lost productivity due to turnover costs U.S. businesses $1.8 trillion annually. (Gallup) ◾New employees take 1-2 years to reach full productivity. (Bersin by Deloitte) ◾High performers are up to 400% more productive than average employees. Losing one sets your team back months. (McKinsey) ◾75% of turnover is preventable, yet most companies ignore the warning signs until it’s too late. (Work Institute) ➡️Retention Is a Daily Investment—Not an HR Policy Retention isn’t HR’s job alone. It’s a shared responsibility across leadership, managers, and culture: ✅Leadership: Set a clear vision, develop talent, and invest in long-term growth. Employees don’t just work for paychecks—they work for futures. ✅Managers: Career stagnation, lack of challenge, and feeling undervalued drive attrition. Managers must actively develop, engage, and retain talent. ✅Culture & Purpose: People stay where they feel valued, connected, and aligned with meaningful work. They won’t stay where they feel like a cog in the machine. ✅Compensation & Career Growth: People don’t leave for money alone—but they will leave if they don’t see a future. Pay fairly and make career paths clear. ➡️How to Retain Top Talent from Day One ◾Preboarding & Onboarding – Engagement starts before Day 1. Reinforce why they chose you, not just why you chose them. ◾ Make Career Paths Visible & Actionable – Employees should never have to wonder, “What’s next for me here?” Growth should be structured, not ambiguous. ◾ Develop Leaders Who Retain, Not Just Manage – Employees leave bad career growth, bad culture, and bad managers. Equip leaders with retention strategies. ◾ Recognize, Reward, and Challenge – Top performers won’t wait to be valued. If you don’t acknowledge their impact, your competitors will. ◾ Make Leaving Feel Like a Step Down – The best retention strategy? Create a workplace so fulfilling that leaving feels like a loss. ➡️ What Do You Think? 💡 What’s the biggest mistake companies make with retention? 💡 What’s one thing that has kept you at a company long-term?

Retaining your best employees isn't as hard as you think Retention isn’t about free lunches or ping-pong tables. Here are 5 ways to do keep your best people..... It’s about creating an environment where people see a future, feel valued, and know their work matters. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀   Most turnover issues trace back to leadership. Employees leave managers, not companies. Too many construction firms promote great tradespeople into leadership without giving them the tools to lead. Invest in leadership development so your supervisors and foremen know how to coach, communicate, and develop their teams—not just push production. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 Good employees want to know where they’re going. If they don’t see a future with you, they’ll find one somewhere else. Map out clear career paths, provide skill development opportunities, and make promotions intentional—not just a reward for sticking around. 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝘁, 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 Retention starts at hiring. Bringing in the wrong people creates frustration for everyone. Hire employees who align with your company’s values and work ethic, then invest in training to build their technical skills. A good cultural fit will stay and grow with you, but a bad one will create headaches until they leave (or worse, stay and poison the culture). 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Money matters, but it’s not everything. Employees also want stability, respect, and benefits that support their families. Competitive wages, solid benefits, and performance-based incentives show employees you value them beyond a paycheck. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 Too many construction companies focus more on recruiting than retaining. A simple thank-you, public recognition, or growth opportunity can go further than you think. When employees feel seen and appreciated, they stick around. Retention isn’t rocket science—it’s about leadership, culture, and making people want to stay. The companies that get this right will win the long game. Any one of these will make a positive impact The best contractors are doing all of them

You're losing talent despite offering competitive salaries. Meet a client who transformed their employee retention strategy. → Tech company → 150 employees → 35% turnover rate Despite market-competitive compensation, they were hemorrhaging valuable team members. They had three critical issues: 1. Limited career development opportunities 2. Lack of meaningful recognition 3. Poor work-life balance Here's what we discovered: Their top performers weren't leaving for more money—they were leaving for better cultural fit and growth potential. When we began working together, they had: → Basic training program → Annual review process → Standard benefits package The situation demanded immediate attention. Here's what we implemented: → Created personalized development paths for each employee, with clear milestones and advancement opportunities. → Introduced flexible working arrangements and comprehensive wellness programs. → Established a peer recognition system and quarterly achievement awards. → Developed mentorship programs pairing senior leaders with emerging talent. The results? → Turnover rate dropped to 12% within 18 months → Employee satisfaction scores increased by 45% → Internal promotions rose by 60% The most significant change? Their culture transformed from "work to earn" to "grow to succeed." Employees now feel valued, supported, and excited about their future with the company. The leadership team reports higher productivity and improved team dynamics. If you're struggling with employee retention and want to create a workplace where talent thrives, message me "RETAIN" and let's discuss your company's specific needs.

Employees don’t leave for more money. They leave because they feel unseen. 👇 Key Insight People crave meaning, not just a paycheck. Retention is rooted in recognition. Employees want to feel like they matter. A quick story: An employee once told me: "I don’t need a raise — I need to know that my boss sees what I do." The Breakdown ❌ Ignored contributions ↳ Silence says: "You're replaceable." ❌ One-way communication ↳ Without feedback, belonging never takes root. ❌ Surface-level check-ins ↳ "How are you?" isn’t enough. ❌ Inconsistent recognition ↳ Praise shouldn’t be random or rare. ✅ Celebrate impact ↳ Recognize outcomes, not just effort. ✅ Create safe dialogue ↳ Invite honest conversations regularly. ✅ Go beyond titles ↳ Acknowledge personal growth and potential. ✅ Normalize gratitude ↳ Make appreciation part of daily culture. Closing Takeaway Retention isn’t complicated. Make people feel seen, heard, and valued. That’s the real currency of loyalty. ❓ How does your company make employees feel truly valued? ♻️ If you believe people deserve to feel valued at work, share this. 👋 Follow me (Dr. Chris Mullen) so you don't miss the next post.

By the time an employee hands in their resignation, their decision was made long before that conversation. The real question is: Were you paying attention before it reached that point? Retention isn’t about last-minute counteroffers—it’s about creating an environment where employees feel valued, challenged, and fulfilled every single day.  Employees don’t leave suddenly. They disconnect gradually:  🔹 When their ideas go unnoticed.   🔹 When career growth feels out of reach.   🔹 When they stop feeling a sense of belonging.  The strongest retention strategy isn’t reactive it’s intentional:  ✅ Foster open conversations before concerns turn into exits.   ✅ Celebrate contributions before motivation fades.   ✅ Invest in growth before they seek it elsewhere.  Losing great talent isn’t inevitable—it’s preventable. Build a culture where people don’t just work; they feel heard, appreciated, and empowered to grow.  What’s one thing you do to ensure employees want to stay? Let’s raise the bar for workplace culture together.  #Retention #Leadership #PeopleFirst #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeExperience

Your next hire has a 31% chance of quitting - and you have all the tools to keep them. It’s shocking, but out of every 10 talented people you bring on board, 3 will walk away in just six months. Not because they're difficult. Not because they're ungrateful. But because most companies are blindly missing the most obvious retention strategies. The talent retention breakdown: 1/ The Silent Killer: Unmet Expectations New hires don’t leave jobs—they leave broken promises. What you think you’re offering: - A job - A salary - Some benefits What they’re actually looking for: - A clear path to growth - Work that feels meaningful - A team they connect with 2/ The Recognition Gap Top performers don’t just work for paychecks—they work for recognition. Harsh truth: A salary is the starting point. Appreciation is what makes them stay. 3/ Culture: The Invisible Retention Lever Work isn’t just a contract, it’s an experience. Red flags that push talent away: - Micromanagement - Lack of feedback - Poor communication - No sense of psychological safety The Real Retention Playbook: - See your employees as humans, not resources - Create clear growth trajectories - Build genuine communication channels - Invest in their potential, not just their performance Retention isn't about keeping people. It's about making them WANT to stay. Have you ever left a job because something fundamental was missing? Or stayed despite challenges? #retention #hiring #value

Your top employees might be quietly planning their exit Here’s what they’re not saying… The reality of employee loyalty is often misunderstood by many leaders. Here’s what keeps employees committed to their companies: 1) Trust & Recognition: - Employees who feel appreciated are 45% less likely to leave within 2 years. - Small actions, like public praise and personalized thank-yous, can have a huge impact. 2) Work-Life Balance: - Flexible schedules reduce job stress by 20%. - 80% of employees would stay loyal if offered more flexible work options. 3) Growth & Development Clear career progression paths, investment in skill development, & opportunities for advancement. 4) Fair Compensation - Competitive salaries are more important than ever. - Comprehensive benefits, like health insurance and retirement plans, matter too. 5) Workplace Culture - Supportive environments. - Mental health resources. -A focus on employee well-being. The Hard Truth: Money alone won’t keep your best talent. The companies that excel at loyalty are the ones that create environments where employees: - Feel valued - Have control over their time - See clear opportunities to grow - Are paid fairly - Receive real recognition Start by asking your team what matters most to them and then listen. #EmployeeRetention #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #HumanResources

Once an employee has handed in their notice... 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲. I often get asked: What keeps a team together in the long run? After years of leading and mentoring teams, I’ve realized a few constants that drive loyalty and engagement. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 9 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: [1] Respect over authority. Nobody thrives under a toxic boss. [2] Transparent growth paths. Employees need to see a future. [3] Compensation that matches contributions—no empty promises. [4] Genuine work-life harmony. Not just a buzzword. [5] Recognition and value. People are more than just numbers. [6] Opportunities for challenge and learning. Growth isn’t optional. [7] Clear communication. Clarity avoids chaos. [8] A culture of accountability—without micromanaging. [9] Opportunities that align with personal goals. ↬ Retention isn’t just about keeping seats filled. It’s about keeping momentum alive. Your best people? They’re ambitious and will eventually move on. But while they’re with you? ⇢ Reward them for their contributions. ⇢ Challenge them with meaningful opportunities. ⇢ Listen to their needs. It’s simple but often overlooked: People leave managers, not companies. Retention begins with leadership, not HR policies. Did I miss anything on the list? Drop your thoughts in the comments ⬇️ P. S- The photo is from the days when we were first building our local team. ♻️Repost this and be the first to share these insights with your network. Stay tuned for more!