Talent retention

What's the value of talent retention?

Research shows that recruiting new staff is six times more costly than retaining the high performers you already have. This emphasises the importance of retaining those who already know your business and culture, and understand your expectations.

How can I retain my staff?

  • Engagement/ culture surveys – confidential engagement or culture surveys help identify what’s important to your people, how satisfied are they and how long they intend to stay. Read our case study on measuring change and growth
  • Retaining high performers – a high performer retention assessment can help you pinpoint what drives and motivates your valued employees so that you know exactly how to keep them
  • Personality motivational assessment – sometimes your most valuable employees are those with the right personal qualities. Assessing candidates on personality, behaviour and motivational fit can help you plan for a future workforce


What additional benefits can I offer them?

Offering benefits can have a positive impact on retention and can be used to focus on retaining high performers or staff threatening to leave.

Benefits include:

  • Flexible working hours – attractive to parents returning to work or students trying to balance their studies.
  • Family friendly working practices.
  • Salary packaging – this tax rebate can significantly improve remuneration packages without costing your organisation anything. For more information view rewards and benefits.
  • Career progression and training – development and qualifications have a definite appeal for employees; they give candidates a reason to stay.
  • Recognition awards, ceremonies, certificates of appreciation for staff.
  • Long service leave.
  • Financial bonus for long service leave or high performance.
      A Frontline Support Worker with a young client

What if I can't retain them?

  • Time to move on – if staff have reached the glass ceiling within your organisation and can only grow by moving to an alternative opportunity elsewhere, this should be accepted, embraced and supported
  • Stay in touch – creating an alumni will keep former employees in close contact with the organisation as a previous employer and service provider, and with one another as former colleagues. Extending invitations to former staff for social events may also stimulate continuing informal peer networks. This arms them with current information and an ongoing commitment to you with which to support you among their networks
  • Phased exits – implement a phased exit of valuable staff, particularly those close to retirement age, remembering to ensure they share knowledge and experience with others in the organisation

Why can't I retain them? 

If your turnover rate is above 15% or rising, ask yourself the following questions.

Is the turnover:

  • Within certain role types? Do those roles get enough peer and supervisory support?
  • Occurring in certain service settings? Are staff working remotely in need of more contact with their team?
  • More prominent in certain shifts? Are there issues with staff participating in overnight stays?
  • Occurring in certain locations? Are the distant locations proving too uneconomical to staff?
  • Putting frontline roles at risk? Are the right people doing the right jobs?
  • Related to remuneration?
For more information read our case study on staff retention.