Don’t wait for a resignation letter to realize you’ve lost a top performer.

Even your best employees might be quietly reevaluating their future. And in most cases, the signs are already there—62% of employees who leave have discussed their plans with someone at the company before making it official. But those conversations often go unnoticed.

Your critical talent—high performers, specialized experts, and hard-to-replace team members—may not be walking out the door today, but that doesn’t mean they’re not planning their next move. While the job market is in a lull, they’re not blind to their options. And this moment is your opportunity to act.

The smartest organizations aren’t reacting to employee turnover—they’re predicting it. They’re using employee listening data to surface early signs of risk, engaging top talent proactively, and reinforcing the reasons to stay. 

What's Changing: Four Shifts Reshaping Retention Strategy

Traditional employee retention strategies like exit interviews and blanket retention bonuses aren’t cutting it anymore. In today’s workplace, reducing turnover requires more than a reactive fix. Leading organizations are rethinking how they identify and support the employees they can’t afford to lose—before it’s too late. That means shifting from guesswork to predictive insights, from one-size-fits-all to focused strategies, and from siloed data to shared action.

From Reaction to Prediction: Spot the Signals Before They Become Resignations

Too many retention strategies operate like fire alarms—only going off once the damage is already done. But most employees send signals well before they leave. Some disengage quietly—dropping off in meetings, skipping optional projects, pulling back from collaboration. Others are more direct, sharing honest feedback in surveys or one-on-ones.

“If we’re waiting for a resignation before we act, we’re already behind,” says Todd Pernicek, Senior Insights Analyst at Quantum Workplace. “The organizations that are winning are the ones who listen early, trust the data, and move fast.”

Focus Where It Matters: Protect the Talent That Drives Results

When everyone gets the same retention strategy, no one wins. Exit interviews tell you why someone left—but not who’s likely to leave next. And company-wide programs often dilute efforts that should be concentrated on the people who have the biggest business impact.

Top performers deliver up to 400% more than their peers. In complex roles, that jumps to 800%. When they leave, it’s not just a vacancy—it’s lost momentum, knowledge, and trust that’s hard to replace.

The smartest organizations prioritize retention efforts where they’ll make the biggest difference: their high-impact talent.

Use Feedback as Fuel: Connect the Dots Across Engagement, Performance, and Growth

“Engagement and retention strategies need to be data-backed and scalable,” says Meghan Freeman, Product Manager at Quantum Workplace. “If you’re only checking engagement once a year, you’re missing critical windows to act.”

Disconnected systems make it hard to see the full picture. But AI-powered employee retention platforms can now surface patterns across engagement, performance, and development data—turning raw feedback into timely, targeted action plans.

Make It Everyone's Job: Empower Managers to Own Retention

Retention can’t live in HR alone. Managers need access to real-time engagement insights, early warning signs, and practical next steps to support their teams. That requires more than a dashboard—it takes training, tools, and a clear expectation to act.

“Managers own retention,” says Pernicek. “But they need the right support. You have to equip them with insights and move quickly. That’s how you make retention a shared responsibility.”

When organizations act on employee feedback, they see engagement rates 12X higher—transforming retention from a scramble into a strategic advantage.

The Risk of Inaction: Every Day You Wait, the Cost Grows

Failing to act on early signs of turnover risk doesn’t just slow down your hiring pipeline—it disrupts business performance in ways that ripple across your organization. While the visible costs—recruiting fees, onboarding time, and lost productivity—add up fast, it’s the hidden impacts that often hit hardest in the long run.

When Talent Leaves, So Does Your Edge

Losing top talent isn’t just about replacing a role. It’s losing the client relationships, institutional knowledge, and team dynamics that drove results. And the impact multiplies—remaining employees face heavier workloads and tighter deadlines, pushing even more people toward the exit.

When Growth Conversations Don't Happen, Trust Breaks Down

Here’s what the data shows: 70% of employees who leave never discussed their growth before quitting, and over half didn’t feel recognized for their contributions. These aren’t unsolvable problems—but they become invisible if you’re not actively listening. And when feedback feels ignored, employees stop sharing. That silence erodes engagement and trust—long before a resignation letter hits your desk.

Your Culture Speaks Volumes—Even When You Don't

When high performers leave and concerns go unanswered, people notice. Internally, it signals that development and recognition aren’t a priority. Externally, it raises questions for clients and partners about leadership and stability. And in a competitive talent market, your reputation as an employer can shift quickly—without you realizing it.

Competitors Are Watching—And Benefiting

Every departure is an opportunity for your competitors. They gain access to hard-earned knowledge about your clients, strategies, and operations. They target your top talent during times of transition—and use your turnover to strengthen their own teams. When retention breaks down, you’re not just losing people. You’re fueling someone else’s growth.

The Productivity Spiral: Why Firefighting Isn't a Long-Term Strategy

“When we act on turnover without data, measurement, and strategy, it creates a vicious cycle that isn’t good for anyone,” says Meghan Freeman, Product Manager at Quantum Workplace. 

Constant hiring. Constant training. No time to build momentum. Teams lose rhythm, projects stall, and knowledge walks out the door. And with new hires taking up to 12 months to ramp up, your competitors gain ground while you play catch-up.

What HR Leaders Are Doing: Real Stories of Smarter Retention

Forward-thinking HR teams aren’t waiting for turnover to hit—they’re using predictive insights to get ahead of it. Check out these employee retention case studies to see how leaders across industries are transforming retention into a competitive advantage.

Certus: Getting Ahead of Turnover With Targeted Talent Reviews

At Certus, Susan Battles, Director of Talent, is reshaping retention by shifting key decisions upstream. Instead of reacting after a resignation, her team conducts proactive talent reviews before compensation planning. They use performance data, growth potential, and business impact to identify who’s most critical to keep—and why.

"We don't want to be scrambling when a key contributor resigns," Battles explains. "We want to stay ahead of turnover risks and create the conditions that make high-impact talent segments want to stay. Not every exit is a bad one—but if someone in our 'Stretch & Grow' category is thinking about leaving, we want to step in before they walk out the door."

Her strategy is rooted in precision: "The bottom line: You need to have the right data to be educated on where to invest," Battles emphasizes. "Talent reviews, engagement data, and performance insights all need to come together so you can determine where to focus retention efforts—and where to let go."

ODW Logistics: Cutting Turnover From 51% to 14% Through Manager Enablement

Jill Spohn, Leadership Development Manager at ODW Logistics, faced a tough reality: 51% voluntary turnover in an industry where high attrition is the norm. But instead of relying solely on HR-led fixes, she empowered managers to lead the charge.

"This survey and the strategies that came from the results directly correlate to our record-low voluntary turnover rates," Spohn reports. "After a full engagement survey and pulse survey cycle, voluntary turnover was 14.33%. That is unbelievably low, specifically for our industry."

By giving managers the tools to coach, connect, and act on feedback, ODW shifted the retention burden from HR alone to the entire leadership team—building a culture where people wanted to stay.

Twin Cities Manufacturing: Pinpointing Problems With Data That Works

At one of the Midwest’s largest privately held manufacturers, HR leaders are using layered listening—engagement, pulse, and lifecycle surveys—to diagnose turnover challenges in real time.

Their Organization Effectiveness Leader explains their approach: "The labor market is really tight right now, and we get a lot of great intel from the surveys to help us improve the employee experience and understand why people might be leaving."

By diving deep into team- and role-specific data, the company uncovered issues like misaligned workload expectations and early-stage comp dissatisfaction—then acted before those issues became flight risks. Their focus on employee retention analytics at the team level enables smarter interventions that keep high-value talent on board.

Start Reducing Turnover This Quarter

“Data alone doesn’t solve problems,” reminds Todd Pernicek, Senior Insights Analyst at Quantum Workplace. “Acting on feedback does. Employees will only keep sharing if they believe it leads to change.”

Here’s how forward-looking HR teams are putting that principle into action now—not next year.

Spot Risk Early With Predictive Analytics

Start by consolidating key data sources—engagement surveys, performance reviews, and behavioral signals—to uncover early signs of flight risk. Focus initial efforts on your highest-impact talent. Technology that unifies these insights makes it easier to identify warning signs before decisions are made.

Focus Strategically on High-Impact Talent 

Retention isn’t a volume game—it’s a value game. Prioritize employees based on three dimensions:

1. Criticality of their role
2. Performance level
3. Institutional knowledge

Targeted strategies here will deliver outsized returns compared to broad, one-size-fits-all programs.

Equip Managers With Insights and Playbooks

Put real-time engagement and retention data in the hands of your frontline managers—along with actionable playbooks to guide their next steps. Train leaders to spot disengagement early, and encourage regular check-ins with high-impact employees before risks escalate.

Make Retention a Leadership Metric

When retention is part of a manager’s performance evaluation, it becomes a priority. Tie career growth for leaders to their ability to keep top talent engaged and retained—and give them the tools to succeed.

Act fast & learn faster.

Retention wins don’t come from waiting. Move quickly on employee feedback—especially from high performers—and track what’s working. Watch early signals:

• Engagement scores for critical talent
• Frequency of career conversations
• Participation in development programs
• Internal promotion rates

Then refine your approach based on what you learn

Make Turnover Predictive—Not Inevitable

It’s time to shift from reactive to strategic. Discover how leading organizations are staying ahead of attrition and building resilient, high-performing teams—no matter the market.

Explore all seven trends in the 2025 Workplace Trends Report and start strengthening retention today.

Read the Report >>