---
title: "The #1 Employee Retention Strategy for Preventing Staff Turnover"
description: US businesses lose $11 billion to staff turnover each year. The right employee retention strategies can keep turnover low. Start by measuring engagement.
---

[15Five Blog ](https://www.15five.com/blog)

# [The #1 Employee Retention Strategy for Preventing Staff Turnover](https://www.15five.com/blog/the-1-employee-retention-strategy-for-preventing-staff-turnover)

 Written by [Sarah Cuellar](https://www.15five.com/blog/author/sarah-cuellar) | January 11, 2019

If you had to guess, how much would you say employee turnover costs companies each year? $100,000? $11 million? $100 million? Try $11 billion. According to the [Bureau of National Affairs](http://strategymeetsperformance.com/facts/u-s-businesses-lose-approximately-11-billion-annually-due-to-employee-turnover/), that’s what U.S. businesses lose annually as a result of job-hopping. Across industries and business sizes, staff turnover is one of the most expensive challenges faced by executives today. One study estimates that employers spend as much as [$7,645](https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/09/cost-of-hiring-a-new-employee-in-2018.html) to hire and train a single replacement. Another found that losing an executive-level manager can cost a whopping [213%](https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CostofTurnover.pdf) of that person’s annual salary. Keeping turnover rates low is one of *the* best ways to increase productivity, profits, and revenue. It’s also one of the most challenging goals to achieve. We’d like to help you gain a deeper understanding of what causes employee turnover and how you can more easily keep it to a minimum.

### What REALLY causes staff turnover

 Before you can begin to address this issue, it’s important to understand what’s leading people to leave. Regardless of the symptoms — clashing with a boss, being bored with work — the root cause is almost always the same. By the time employees make the decision to quit, they’ve been disengaged and disillusioned for a while. But find ways to keep employees engaged at work, and you’re far less likely to see high rates of turnover. We all love the idea of longstanding employees motivated by passion, purpose, and [meaning](https://www.15five.com/blog/top-workplace-meaning-at-work/). When top talent sticks around, the business thrives. And not just a little. Companies with engaged employees report more than [double](http://techpoint.org/2016/11/agile-engagement-book/) the revenue of companies with low engagement. Which is why we need to stop asking *What’s causing employees to leave?* and instead, consider *What makes people want to stay?* Focus on employee engagement first and foremost, and you’ll quickly discover what needs to happen to hold on to top talent. By addressing [engagement drivers](https://www.15five.com/blog/14-drivers-employee-engagement/) such as trust, autonomy, [role clarity](https://www.15five.com/blog/employee-engagement-focus-on-role-clarity/), and professional development, you can keep people excited about their jobs and eager to support your mission and vision. In fact, according to neuroscientist [Paul Zak](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HUER0ZG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1), boosting employee trust by just 10% has the same impact as a 36% increase in salary.

### How to lower staff turnover RIGHT NOW

 There are plenty of reasons people leave jobs. Sometimes, it’s a response to [poor management](https://www.15five.com/blog/supporting-manager-employee-relationships/). It might be because their [skills aren’t being fully utilized](https://www.15five.com/blog/utilizing-employees-for-engagement-retention/), or because you work in a competitive industry marked by a shortage of talent. Or it could be due to any number of a hundred other underlying issues. So… How do you figure out what’s causing employee turnover at *your* organization? For many companies, the answer lies in measuring employee engagement. Collecting and analyzing engagement data is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to understand precisely why people are leaving — and to figure out what your employees truly need to find passion and purpose at work. It’s also an outstanding way to show your people how much you appreciate and want to keep them. This is why we encourage every company to begin measuring employee engagement right now — before it’s too late. With the average employee tenure now at [4.2 years](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/tenure.pdf), and with [75%](http://rh-us.mediaroom.com/2018-04-05-Does-Job-Hopping-Help-Or-Hurt-Your-Career?utm_campaign=Press_Release) of young employees stating job-hopping is beneficial to careers, no company is immune to the high costs and lowered productivity of constant recruiting and training. **To sum it up**: If there’s one issue that impacts ALL companies at some point, turnover would be it. But thankfully, there is one highly reliable, proven method you can use to fight back — no matter the circumstances. Are employees engaged and thriving? Use data to keep that momentum going. Struggling to keep the door from revolving? Create a [culture of feedback](https://www.15five.com/products/performance/employee-engagement/) to pinpoint exactly what needs to be fixed.

[View full post](https://www.15five.com/blog/the-1-employee-retention-strategy-for-preventing-staff-turnover)

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