Dr John Sullivan Talent Management Thought Leadership
Written by Arlene Hirsch on August 28, 2018.
udson reviews quarterly attrition reports to determine whether there are any unusual turnover patterns or problems. Tracking this information recently alerted him to an unusual spike in consultants leaving before their first-year anniversary. He wanted to pinpoint the cause to make sure these early departures were an aberration rather than a regular occurrence.
Hudson traced the problem back to a period of hyper growth when Slalom was hiring and onboarding consultants more quickly than usual.
“We sped through the interview process and may have hurried things up too much,” he said. “We need to make sure that we set expectations right from the beginning, even if that means slowing down the hiring process.”
John Sullivan, Ph.D., a thought leader in talent management based in Pacifica, Calif., recommends that HR professionals create color-coded “heat maps” that highlight the most severe turnover areas, and then quantify the impact in dollars and cents so that decision-makers fully understand the turnover picture.
These maps can be segmented to reveal clusters of turnover that are occurring in specific interest areas, including by:
- Geographic region.
- Individual managers.
- Cause of the turnover.
- Performance level or those designated as “regrettable turnover.”
- Job or job family.
- Salary grade or level.
- Experience level or years of tenure.
- Diversity of employees.
“The most impactful turnover heat maps are predictive,” Sullivan said. “A predictive heat map can alert managers to changing trends in the causes or the location of upcoming turnover.”
After identifying underlying causes of turnover, managers can take corrective actions. Though there may be a need for systemic changes, Sullivan has discovered that the best solutions often involve personalized retention approaches rather than across-the-board initiatives.
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