Long before employees leave, they send cues that can help managers identify and retain top performers planning to exit by creating pathways for advancement and by coaching managers to be strategic, Assistant Professor JR Keller and colleagues found. 

In “They’ve Got Leaving on Their Minds: Leading for Keeps Amid the Big Quit,” Keller; Timothy Gardner, Utah State University associate professor, and Brad Winn, Utah State University professor, provide managers with practical advice based on several recent research projects. The article was published in the Spring 2022 issue of People + Strategy.

Retention of top performers is a hot HR issue; a tight labor market has caused a great deal of churn, with many leaving jobs for better pay and benefits such as work-from-home options. The “Great Resignation” is an expensive proposition for firms that have to hire and train new workers. 

Advance information allows companies to be more focused and targeted in responses “that should include a drive to change manager mindsets away from tribal, short-term and territorial thinking toward cultures that value new career pathways and internal employee opportunities. It’s all a part of upping the game of “leading for keeps” to retain your best talent amid the Big Quit,” they wrote. 



A full version of this story can be found on the ILR website.

Mary Catt is the ILR School’s director of communications.