{"id":10906,"date":"2025-10-08T04:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T08:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primepay.com\/?p=10906"},"modified":"2025-11-04T11:55:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:55:44","slug":"voluntary-turnover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primepay.com\/blog\/voluntary-turnover\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Ways to Combat Voluntary Turnover"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s a well-known fact that high turnover rates are detrimental to an organization. Besides causing financial strain to hire and train new employees, consistent turnover also causes a ripple effect of concern (at best) within remaining teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while leaders understand the consequences of attrition, many also largely ignore indications of future voluntary turnover \u2013 or don\u2019t even have processes in place to monitor those warning signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is an in-depth guide with strategies from the frontline to help prevent voluntary turnover and create a company culture that motivates people to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Voluntary Turnover?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Voluntary turnover occurs when employees choose to leave a company for their own reasons, such as better career opportunities, higher pay, or personal circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, voluntary turnover happens sporadically or is caused by a global event (looking at you, Great Resignation). However, if your company consistently sees a high turnover rate, there are most likely organizational issues lurking beneath the surface. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no surprise that high voluntary turnover can have serious consequences for organizations. Beyond losing institutional knowledge, it can also negatively impact team morale and productivity, disrupt workflows, and increase recruitment costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voluntary Turnover vs. Involuntary Turnover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While voluntary turnover happens when employees choose to leave, involuntary turnover occurs when the employer makes the decision. Layoffs, downsizing, and terminations due to performance or misconduct all fall under involuntary turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key difference? Voluntary turnover is often preventable.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, employers can influence factors like employee engagement, career growth opportunities, and workplace culture to reduce the chances of losing valuable team members. However, Gallup reports<\/a> that 42% of employees who left voluntarily in the past year said their manager or company could have done something to prevent them from leaving \u2013 shining a light on a huge misstep by organizations and room for growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, involuntary turnover, while sometimes necessary, can indicate issues like poor hiring practices or inadequate performance management if it happens too frequently. Both types of turnover come with costs, but voluntary turnover\u2014especially among high performers\u2014can leave lasting impacts on morale, productivity, and team dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First: Know Your Turnover Rate Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improving your employee experience is always a good idea, but smart leaders collect baseline data to track their programming success. While there are many HR metrics<\/a> to track, two of the most important are turnover rate and turnover cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calculate Turnover Rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turnover rate is a people metric that calculates the percentage of employees who leave your organization within a specific period, typically a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"_calc_turnover_rate\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Calculate Turnover Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turnover cost is the total expenses associated with an employee leaving your organization and being replaced. This includes direct costs such as recruitment, training, and onboarding of new hires, as well as indirect costs like lost productivity, decreased morale, and the time managers and HR teams spend in the hiring process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"_calc_turnover_cost\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Turnover By Reason and Tenure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You should get even more granular in your turnover data by running reports on turnover by reason and tenure. The best (and easiest) way to do so is within your HCM, which brings HR and payroll data together, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Turnover<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Mitigate Voluntary Turnover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter your company size, employee retention is a major indicator of your employee experience and helps you understand what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are nine strategies to combat voluntary turnover, all of which fit into three main categories: focusing on company culture, reviewing your compensation strategy, and encouraging career growth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Company Culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. Lean Into Your Company Values<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Building a culture that prioritizes inclusion, recognition, and collaboration should be a top priority for HR leaders. Besides the fact that it\u2019s the right thing to do, Gallup reports<\/a> that employees who feel connected to a company\u2019s mission and values are less likely to leave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, only 30% of employees feel connected to their company\u2019s mission. The good news? You can double down on this initiative to stand out and provide a stellar employee experience<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over at Aper, Head of People Guiliana Zara<\/a> did just that: She aimed to ensure the company\u2019s culture evolved alongside its growth. To achieve this, Aper integrated its core values into every aspect of the organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explains: “We include the Aper values in every process that we launch or modify, that way it serves as the roots for everything we do (including feedback surveys, salary reviews, and onboarding). We also feature our values front and center during company-wide events like Town Halls and when we recognize our people\u2019s achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the results spoke for themselves. By implementing surveys<\/a> to gauge employee experience initiatives, Zara\u2019s team saw a remarkable 70% increase in their eNPS score from 2020 to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip:<\/strong> Celebrate wins<\/a>\u2014big or small\u2014through company-wide recognition programs<\/a>, shoutouts, or appreciation events. To ensure the efficacy of your programming, regularly ask for feedback (through surveys, one-on-one meetings, or Town Halls), then act on the feedback to show employees their input matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Promote Trust in the Workplace<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Employees are more likely to stay in environments where they feel psychologically safe. That vulnerability and open dialogue often starts with honest conversations between managers and employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is that many organizations promote employees to people leader roles because they\u2019re good at their job, not because they\u2019re qualified to manage a team. Daniel Hooman<\/a> of Agile Partners believes that an \u201cexecutives first\u201d mentality isn\u2019t sufficient enough to provide support or close gaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, he says that \u201cthe biggest growth opportunity is in \u2018moving the middle,\u2019 which is often managers. Evidence shows a strong correlation between training managers and employee engagement. Uplifting the capability of managers helps to align values and tremendously impacts company culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip:<\/strong> Train managers on active listening and empathy to help employees feel heard and supported. Leaders who acknowledge challenges and share their own experiences foster trust and loyalty. Additionally, managers should focus on being better communicators, motivators, and career advocates to create a culture of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Handle Offboarding with Care<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You may feel a range of emotions when a valued employee turns in their two weeks, but terminations should always remain respectful and professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two ways to offer the departing person a smooth transition \u2013 and help them feel valued until their last day \u2013 are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n