Episode 82
Retaining talent during The Great Resignation | with Jason Lauritsen, Barbara Lee & Dr. Bev Kaye
The Great Resignation is real, but it’s peaking. Barbara Lee and Dr. Bev Kaye reveal why employees are leaving and what retention strategies actually work—from stay interviews to internal mobility.
Episode Key Takeaways
COVID created a lag effect: employees deferred job moves in 2020, then reevaluated what matters to them. Now they’re acting on it. Barbara notes that attrition rates dropped during lockdown, then normalized upward as people took time to reconsider their careers and employer expectations around flexibility, autonomy, and purpose.
Manager quality is the retention lever most organizations ignore. When Bev interviewed departing employees, the single biggest reason they left wasn’t pay—it was their boss. Compassion fatigue in healthcare, burnout across industries, and a collective drop in tolerance for poor management are driving the exodus.
Stay interviews, not exit interviews, are the retention tool that works. Asking employees “What can I do to keep you?” before they leave—and genuinely listening when they say what matters—surfaces actionable retention levers. If you can’t deliver on their ask, say so and find what you can move on.
Internal mobility beats external hiring on culture and cost. Building a cohesive culture requires sustained tenure and shared norms; constant external intake undermines both. Barbara emphasizes that succession planning, career conversations, and project-based development opportunities (not just promotions) keep people engaged and reduce attrition.
Pay is table stakes, not the retention driver. Once employees can pay their bills and feel secure, career progression, learning, autonomy, and values alignment become the deciding factors. Throwing more money at retention without addressing manager quality or career visibility is a losing strategy.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Why are employees quitting in record numbers right now?
Three factors converge: pandemic-delayed job moves are now happening, employees have reevaluated what they want from work (flexibility, purpose, autonomy), and poor manager relationships are no longer tolerable. The labor market has also shifted—more jobs posted, fewer applicants, and passive candidates now in higher demand.
What's the best way to retain employees before they leave?
Conduct stay interviews: ask managers to regularly ask employees “What can I do to keep you?” and listen for what actually matters. Focus on career pathing, autonomy, variety, and learning opportunities. If you can’t deliver on a request, be honest and explore what you can offer instead.
How do we make internal mobility visible and safe?
Design transparent, accessible career systems that prioritize internal candidates over external hires. Use technology like internal gig marketplaces to surface project and role opportunities. Remove barriers to internal movement and signal to employees that career growth happens within the organization, not just through external hiring.
Does pay matter for retention?
Pay is a hygiene factor—essential to meet baseline needs so employees can pay bills. Once that threshold is met, career progression, manager quality, learning opportunities, and alignment with values become the real retention drivers. Increasing salary alone won’t keep disengaged employees.
Why are middle managers being overlooked in retention strategy?
Managers are burned out and often unsupported by their own leadership. They can’t model care, opportunity-mining, or career development for their teams if they’re not receiving it themselves. Organizations must invest in manager wellbeing and coaching to cascade retention practices downward.