Voluntary departures are inevitable in any organization, but high employee turnover is usually a symptom of something bigger. Failure to reduce employee turnover also leads to more issues, like difficulty finding a new hire that offers the right skills and culture fit, increased pressure on remaining employees and the significant expenses that come with recruitment. The projected cost of replacing staff ranges from 40% of salary for frontline employees all the way up to 200% for leaders, according to global analytics firm Gallup1.
The good news is that retention challenges are often reversible. In a survey of employees who had voluntarily left their jobs within the previous year, Gallup found that 42% would have stayed if their manager or organization had intervened1.
Addressing high employee turnover starts with understanding the root causes. Once you know the ‘why,’ you’ll be able to refine future employee retention strategies to keep your people engaged and prevent high performers from seeking opportunities elsewhere.
What are some common high turnover causes?
A variety of factors contribute to high employee turnover, though the following are key drivers that will push people to leave if they feel their organization is lacking.
- Compensation & benefits—including perks that contribute to better work-life balance, like vacation time and flexible work arrangements. A 2025 survey conducted through talent firm Robert Half2 found that better benefits and perks (33%) and competitive pay (31%) were two of the main reasons Canadian professionals planned to look for a new job in 2026.
- Career advancement & growth opportunities help keep employees engaged and excited about a future with their organization. Statistics Canada’s labour insights3 showed that 38.8 % of employees aged 25-54 plan to leave their job in the next 12 months for career change or advancement reasons.
- Values & culture alignment—or rather, lack thereof—is another growing high turnover cause. People want to feel like they belong at work, and that they’re part of an organization that reflects their own ideals. Randstand’s 2025 Workmonitor report4 found that 42% of Canadian employees have previously quit a job because of toxic culture, while 86% indicated that they perform better in their roles when they have a sense of community in their workplace.
How can organizations reduce employee turnover?
Every workplace is unique, so there’s no one-size-fits all solution. To truly address root causes and reduce employee turnover, start by looking inward. Using the examples above, consider how your organization measures up:
- What does total compensation look like compared to the average for your area, company size and industry?
- Are there opportunities for employees to learn and grow in ways that are meaningful to them?
- Is your organization living up to its values? Do leaders ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to fostering a positive workplace culture? Are people recognized for their contributions?
More than looking at overall trends and averages, feedback from employees is crucial. Anonymous pulse surveys are an easy and cost-effective way to gain direct insights, as people are more likely to be candid about areas for improvement when they can remain unidentified. That said, regular check-ins between leaders and their direct reports are another helpful source for discovering pinch points—even simple questions about how employees are feeling in their day-to-day or their role overall can be revealing.
Since high employee turnover typically has more than one contributing cause, incremental improvements in the right areas can have reaching impacts on retention. For example, employees may be more willing to forgo a higher salary if their organization has a great culture and opportunities for growth.
What are the highest-impact ways to reduce employee turnover fast?
If you need to reduce employee turnover quickly, focus on the levers that change the weekly employee experience:
1. Fix manager basics
Equip managers with consistent tools for 1:1s, feedback and recognition. Many turnover spikes trace back to manager inconsistency.
2. Clarify roles and success metrics
Employees churn when they don’t know what success looks like or feel that their work isn’t valued.
3. Stabilize workload and prioritization
Burnout is one of the fastest accelerants of turnover. If everything is ‘urgent,’ employees eventually opt out
4. Create visible career growth
When people can’t see a path forward, they leave. Make progression criteria and internal mobility visible.
These are the foundations behind most sustainable employee retention strategies.
What is coaching’s role in effective employee retention strategies?
Reflecting on those high turnover causes: coaching is fast becoming an expected feature of total compensation and benefits. Employers who offer coaching give staff the opportunity to develop where they are, while boosting their career trajectory—a valuable way to attract and retain A-players. Working with an experienced, vetted Arcora coach, employees choose which skills they’d most like to focus on for a tailored experience that they feel truly benefits them.
Specifically, Arcora’s coaching can help with:
Work-life integration
Employees and leaders can strengthen time management, productivity and delegation. By gaining strategies to help them find harmony between work and personal life, they’re more able to manage stress and combat burnout—60% of Arcora coaching participants saw an increase in resilience after just a few sessions5.
Organizational alignment
Coaching can help employees recognize where they belong within their organization by clearly identifying how their role and contributions fit within the overall strategy. Leaders gain a better understanding of how to manage teams, foster collaboration and leverage individual strengths for the benefit of their teams and the business as a whole.
Culture improvements
With focus areas like effective communication, emotional intelligence, developing working relationships and conflict resolution, employees and leaders can build stronger connections and improve team cohesion at every level. Leaders in particular can be an example in their role—with Arcora’s coaching, 67% of participants improved their interpersonal leadership5, which includes working effectively with others, building relationships and understanding team dynamics.
These are just a few examples—the impact of quality workplace coaching can’t be understated, as it’s more than job-specific training or a generic professional learning opportunity. Arcora’s individual coaching offers personalized development in key areas, with ongoing application and reflection for sustainable growth. Our research also found that Arcora’s coaching offers measurable progress in more than one area: 62.5% of participants improved in at least two work outcomes, while more than 90% improved at least one skill in three key leadership domains5.
Want to reduce employee turnover through a proven investment in your people and business? Arcora has a solution for that. Reach out today!
Sources
1 Tatel, C. & Wigert, B. (2024). 42% of Employee Turnover is Preventable but Often Ignored. Gallup.
2 Robert Half Canada Inc. (2025). Survey: One third of Canadian professionals plan to search for a new job in 2026.
3 Statistics Canada (2026). Labour Force Survey, January 2026.
4 Randstad (2025). Workmonitor 2025: A New Workplace Baseline.
5 Milot, M. (2026). The Breadth of Arcora Coaching’s Impact. Arcora.
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