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High Turnover? Here's How To Find (And Address) The Root Cause

Forbes Human Resources Council

An employee comes to human resources to put in their resignation. Just as you've found someone to fill their now-open position, another employee gives their notice as well. Soon, it becomes clear that your company is facing a turnover problem.

While hiring to fill gaps is necessary, it’s also crucial to diagnose the underlying issues of why people are leaving in the first place. To help you address the root cause, 15 members of Forbes Human Resources Council share their top tips for discovering the reason behind high turnover rates.

1. Ask Questions

Ask early. Ask often. Using a quick NPS or asking a series of similar questions easily, quickly and anonymously will get you a long way. Do you like your job? What are we doing well? What could we do better? Would you want your best friend to work here? - Elizabeth Roberts, eGenesis, Inc.

2. Conduct A Third-Party Survey

Relying on anecdotes or speculation rarely uncovers the real reason employees are leaving. Two things you can immediately implement is talking to your people on the frontlines in a safe environment and having a third party survey employees who have left. When you have identified themes, be transparent with the company about what you have heard and how you will take action. Then do it! - Danielle Monaghan, Uber


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3. Assess Your Culture And Leadership

A true assessment of the company's culture and leadership from the perspective of the employees will help identify if there is a culture or leadership issue. Layering on top of the culture/leadership perspective should also be an understanding of how the employees view equity. Look at the demographic data of the departing staff and compare it to the data from your assessment. - Kelly Lockwood Primus, Leading NOW

4. Dig Into Your Employee Data

Data helps you discern truths from anecdotes. What do employee files indicate? Were there tensions with coworkers or supervisors? Are policies enforced consistently? Has absenteeism increased? Does onboarding prepare employees for success? What patterns emerge in exit interviews and did anyone know about the issues before? All of these data points can help you figure out what's really going on. - Courtney Pace, FedEx Employees Credit Assoc.

5. Consider The Tenures Of Exiting Employees

Assuming the turnover is due to resignations rather than terminations, the company should look at the tenure of those turning over. If they have short tenures at the company, there is likely a hiring/training issue. If the employees have a longer tenure, then it is an organizational issue. After figuring out where the issue is, exit interviews are a great way to find the exact problem. - Alex Pantich, Upshift

6. Get On The Frontlines With Your Team

Periodic, simple and short surveys regarding work environment and management/leadership can usually help diagnose causes of high turnover. Additionally, coming out from “behind the desk" to joining your teams in their environment can also help immensely. Live a day in the life of your employees; it's eye-opening! - Christina Hobbs, American Queen Steamboat Company

7. Hold Exit Interviews

Companies can review exit interviews to see if there are any patterns of concerning data. If employees for different departments say that employer communication is lacking, then likely there is an organizational problem that needs to be researched. Additionally, companies can send out anonymous employee surveys to gauge how the company is doing and discuss what improvements can be made. - Erin ImHof, Circadence

8. Embrace Feedback From Your Employees

Employee analytics are critical to any business experiencing personnel churn in 2021. Running frequent staff surveys and leveraging tools can allow business leaders to make well-informed, data-driven decisions. Reasons for turnover are often obvious, but sometimes they're not. Feedback is a gift, and it should be embraced by all managers, even if it's sometimes hard to hear. - Andrew Hunter, Adzuna

9. Review Salaries Externally

Attrition has a number of causes, but it's worth checking that it isn't something as basic as financials. Make this a strong assessment, not just anecdotal evidence from leavers. Comparing salaries with the market might identify a quick win, which will help with retention and recruitment. - Karla Reffold, Orpheus Cyber

10. Develop And Monitor An HR Dashboard

Data analytics can help diagnose underlying turnover issues. The monthly HR dashboard should include deep dive turnover data inclusive of demographics of the employee, their manager, department, separation type and turnover reason. An analysis will flag trends related to the reason and/or the supervisor being factors. For an even deeper dive, consider tracking grievances and employee relations. - Bridgette Wilder, Wilder HR Management & EEO Consulting

11. Do 'Autopsies'

Perform autopsies on the how and why people are leaving by referring to notes in their HR folders from the time of hire to exit. Ideally, your hiring team has a uniform approach (i.e., feedback forms to complete when interviewing prospects) to selecting talent. Refer back to notes, character traits, profile styles, etc. to determine what consistent themes may be related to those staying versus exiting. - Bryan Passman, Hunter + Esquire

12. Look For Trends And Patterns

Think of your exit interviews as your starting point when determining the root cause of high turnover. If you have high involuntary turnover, then start by seeing if there is a common department or manager first. But when it comes to voluntary turnover, your exit interviews are the key to figuring out the trends, key issues or root causes for the turnover. Start there and then create a plan. - Kelly Loudermilk, BuildHR, Inc.

13. Start Measuring The Right Things

Turnover is commonly the result of people escaping mistreatment and unhealthy culture. Engagement surveys are often the first step to assessing these problems, but because engagement is only a lagging indicator of other keys like psychological safety, belonging and inclusion, we rarely get to the truth of the problem. We have to measure the right things, in the right way and for the right purpose. - Leeno Karumanchery, MESH/Diversity

14. Address The Most Glaring Issues First

Exit interviews, employee satisfaction and net promoter score surveys, turnover and leave analysis, compensation insights and more will help diagnose where issues are. It's never just one thing—a variety of issues will need to be addressed, and there's never a simple solution.  Look at the metrics and narrow your focus by addressing the most glaring items first. - Tracy Cote, StockX

15. Develop Targeted Retention Strategies

A company needs to develop targeted employee retention strategies. This requires an organization to understand both why employees leave organizations and why they stay. Data can be collected through engagement surveys, exit surveys, stay interviews and/or employee focus groups. It is critical to be transparent with the data collected and communicate effectively the issues being addressed and how. - Sherry Martin, Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS)

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