How to Survive High Team Turnover

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You can't believe it. Another one of your team has handed in his notice. This will make the fifth person to leave in six months!

All of this change is beginning to have a negative impact on your people's morale. They're tired of saying goodbye to their colleagues and training new starters, not to mention all of the additional work that they've had to pick up. You're dreading telling them that yet another person will be leaving, and you are uncertain how you can help them through this tough time.

Staff turnover is a fact of life and, of course, there will always be times when organizations lose people. However, it can still be hard when you lose people that you've come to rely on, not just for you as a manager but for the rest of your team as well.

This article will explore the underlying issues of high team turnover, and will look at strategies that you can use to survive it.

Understanding Team Turnover

Team turnover is the rate at which people leave your organization. Research shows that some industries, such as hospitality and finance, have a higher staff "churn" rate than others – insurance and utilities, for instance.

However, the growth of the "gig economy" and the prevalence of short-term contracts – coupled with increased instability and uncertainty Add to My Personal Learning Plan following the 2008 financial crash – has meant that high team turnover is now relatively common.

Statistics compiled by LinkedIn™ reveal that deliberate "job hopping" – frequently moving from one job to another – is on the rise, too, particularly among people working in the media, professional services, government, education, and the non-profit sector.

Younger workers are also more likely to job hop, with a recent survey showing that nearly half (45 percent) of the employers who took part expected new graduates to stay with them for no more than two years.

A key driver of the rise in job hopping among younger people is that they are generally more keen than previous generations to explore the job market, and they aren't afraid to start over again to find the right career. People of all ages Add to My Personal Learning Plan have also become less likely to stick with a job purely because of money, and they are more willing to move jobs to find a career that is more in sync with what really matters to them.

Other reasons that could influence people's decision to leave their job include:

Poor management.
Bad cultural fit.
Lack of challenge.
Poor work-life balance.
Too few development opportunities.
Low pay.
Lack of recognition.
Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that high turnover can be disruptive for you, your team and your customers. When someone quits, you lose both expertise and capacity. This will likely put additional pressure on your remaining team members, and it can cause quality standards and continuity to drop for your customers.

But high turnover can have positive results if the remaining team members receive the right support. It can provide them with the opportunity to take on new and different responsibilities or roles, learn new skills and develop their knowledge.

Six Tips for Surviving High Team Turnover

The following six tips can help you to support and manage your team effectively in times of high turnover.

1. Keep Team Spirits Up

People can easily lose their sense of belonging when teams begin to change, whether that's colleagues leaving or joining. It can be especially hard for a team if a particularly popular or able member goes. Friendships and professional networks can break down, and this can make people feel isolated.

Remedy this by building rapport Add to My Personal Learning Plan and using team-building exercises Add to My Personal Learning Plan to unite your people. Be open and honest with them, help them to find common ground with one another, and solidify these relationships by organizing team activities or after-work get-togethers.

If you don't already sit with your team, make an effort to connect with it by practicing Management by Wandering Around (MBWA) Add to My Personal Learning Plan. Team spirit will naturally develop if you show a genuine interest in your people, so make the effort to do this every day.

And remember, as a manager, you are also a role model, so lead by example. Try to stay positive Add to My Personal Learning Plan, even during challenging times, and show your commitment to your organization by demonstrating loyalty and good humor.

2. Keep an "Open Door" Policy

When there's uncertainty within your team, it's important to make sure that you check in with everyone regularly. Have candid one-on-ones Add to My Personal Learning Plan with them, and let them know that they are free to ask questions, to "blow off steam," and to voice any concerns during those meetings.

Listen with empathy Add to My Personal Learning Plan to these concerns, and respond to problems and suggestions in a timely manner. Even if you can't accommodate every request, showing that you are willing to resolve these issues will help to demonstrate that you value Add to My Personal Learning Plan your team members and build up their trust in you.

These meetings could also give you the opportunity to ask people why they think others have decided to leave the team. It could be that the upheaval is being caused by issues that you are unaware of, such as negative behavior or too much bureaucracy. Use Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory Add to My Personal Learning Plan to get to the root of any such issues.



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