When Non-HR Executives Ask About Turnover (Again)

You’re in a senior leadership meeting when the topic of “turnover” comes up – and suddenly all eyes shift to you. The long-standing assumption? HR owns all things people, and turnover is a people problem. So, HR should solve it.

But here’s the truth: Retention is a business problem. And it deserves a business solution.

In this edition of Targeting Turnover, we’re revisiting six timeless truths from my book, HR’s Greatest Challenge, reframed for today’s leaders who want to turn data into action.

1. Treat Employee Retention Like Sales or Service

“Convert outcomes to dollars, establish goals, and then provide tools, solicit forecasts, and apply accountability. Manage engagement and retention just like sales and service.”

For years, organizations have held managers accountable for customer retention – but not employee retention. Imagine blaming HR when a client walks out the door. Yet that’s what often happens when an employee resigns.

If we truly want to reduce turnover, we need to use the same playbook as sales and operations: goals, metrics, tools, and accountability. When we manage retention like we manage revenue, the results follow.

2. Use Internal Benchmarks, Not Peer Comparisons

“The best benchmarks are internal. Tell your CEO your turnover is better than your peers’ turnover and she’ll be happy. Tell your CEO how much your turnover costs and she’ll never ask about your peers again.”

Comparing turnover rates to industry averages can create a false sense of security. “Better than average” might still be costing you millions. Internal benchmarks – especially tied to costs – are far more powerful. They clarify the urgency to act.

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Further reading: White Paper – Speak the CEO Language on Engagement & Retention: DOLLAR$!

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3. Convert Retention Metrics to Dollars

“The first step to making engagement and retention first-tier metrics is to convert survey scores and turnover percentages to the CEO’s language: dollars.”

This is the turning point. Once you quantify turnover in dollars – and better yet, have finance validate and announce the findings – you shift retention from “soft” to strategic. Need a starting point? Try our Free Turnover Cost Calculator.

4. Engage the CFO in Retention Conversations

“CFOs’ jobs are to find coins in the couch. If CFOs learned the real cost of turnover, all companies would be managed better.”

In one case, a CFO calculated that losing a single engineer cost $121,450 – and that turnover was the company’s second-highest annual cost. When your CFO sees retention as a budgetary issue, you’ll get a seat at the table and shared accountability.

5. Trust Is the Core Retention Metric

“If you can think of one manager who can’t build trust with their team, cancel all other efforts to improve engagement and retention until you fix this.”

All the bonuses, surveys, and perks won’t make a difference if trust is broken at the manager level. That’s why tracking first-line leader turnover – by name and team – is essential. Trust-building isn’t just a soft skill; it’s a business imperative.

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Further reading: To Retain Your People, Supervisor Trust Stands Alone

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6. Make Retention a Top 5 Business Metric

“Asking your executive team to manage engagement and retention as a top 5 metric requires courage –as does asking them to hold themselves accountable.”

If you’re in HR, this starts with you. Courage means pushing the conversation forward, armed with data and ready-made solutions. Retention isn’t just HR’s job – it’s a shared responsibility that starts at the top.

Retention That Pays for Itself

At C-Suite Analytics, our comprehensive turnover solution consistently cuts turnover by 30% or more. Interested in how that translates to real savings for your organization? Reach out directly at DFinnegan@C-SuiteAnalytics.com.