Turnover:

the good, the bad, and the ugly

Turnover trends are telling.

Whether your organization has low voluntary turnover, high voluntary turnover, low involuntary turnover, high involuntary turnover, or some combination of the above that varies by department and according to the time of the year, turnover statistics tell a story about your company processes, procedures, leadership, and culture.
The purpose of this paper is to explore why turnover matters and what it really means to manage turnover.
Hint: It’s way more than a numbers game.
This paper will also present tips and solutions to maintaining or creating the happy ending to your “turnover story.”

Turnover Myths
Let’s first address some common turnover myths that when taken at face value can impede organizational growth while contributing to employee disengagement and dissatisfaction.

Myth: Measuring Turnover Isn’t That Important
This myth gains traction from the truism that employees come and employees go, but life continues on.
Since “no one is irreplaceable,” fretting about turnover is a waste of time. Besides, who needs fancy metrics? When there’s a problem it’ll be obvious, right?

Reality
What’s perceived as obvious may not be actual. Our perception is often clouded by our biases and preconceptions, as well as what we observe in the world immediately around us. Perception is important, but hard data is important, too.
And while no one is irreplaceable, employees are not expendable. Employees are unique beings with unique strengths, weaknesses, talents, and skills. If one of your key employees was hit by a truck tomorrow, you’d need to replace that employee, and replace him you would. But your new employee won’t be a clone of the one you lost. She’ll be different, and those differences will have an impact on your organization for the better, the worse, or