preview

Essay about Employee Turnover and Retention

Good Essays

Employee Turnover an Observation
When discussing employee turnover and retention the immediate reaction is to view turnover as a negative and retention as a positive. Psychologists have been researching and documenting their findings on the subject for over 50 years, mostly focusing on why people leave organizations (Staw, 1980, p. 253). One cannot deny there are organizational costs due to an employee’s departure; however, it would be naïve not to recognize there are benefits as well. Organizations must weigh the costs of turnover, recognize the benefits, and strive to find a balance.
There is no debate that employee turnover results in some amount of accountable monetary expense. Additionally, there are expenses that are difficult …show more content…

Shuffling all the necessary paperwork when employees are out-processed and in-processed, tasking staff to organize and conduct hiring committees thereby pulling them away from their primary duties has accountable costs. If turnover is relatively high even more costs can be associated with organizations needing additional staff to specialize in employee recruitment and selection (Staw, 1980, p. 255).
Costs to staff vacant positions are dependent on the amount of recruitment needed. If the labor market is tight, finding qualified applicants may be difficult leaving the position vacant longer or requiring the qualifications required to be reevaluated. Conversely, in a strong labor market the organization may receive hundreds of applications from qualified individuals (Staw, 1980, p. 255).
When considering the cost of replacing employees, training is another consideration. Depending on the complexity of the position, training may be formal, informal, or undefined. When professional training is required there is a direct expense and an additional cost associated with lost business while the training is being conducted (Dalton & Todor, 1982, p. 215). Typically new hires for complex positions have already completed formal training at their own expense (doctors, engineers, programmers, etc.). Informal training is generally provided by co-workers. The length of the training is categorized by the complexity of the tasks. When positions are undefined, the new hire

Get Access