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Analyzing Turnover and Retention

Head Start programs need the right people with the right skills to provide high-quality child outcomes. Employee turnover and retention metrics are indicators of employee engagement, and they help assess the health of a program. The Society for Human Resource Management asserts that “turnover data is more than just a number — it should encompass the reasons employees stay or leave both to reduce unwanted exits and to better inform retention strategies.”

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Which metrics matter most for your organization and processes? What data should you focus on to make the most informed decisions?

This sorting activity, based on 8 Employee Turnover Metrics You Probably Aren’t Measuring (But Should!), is designed to initiate collaborative discussions about your current processes and ways to improve them. Use these cards to establish new metrics, develop action plans, evaluate data-collection practices, and train staff on effective retention strategies.

Each card explains one of these turnover and retention metrics:

  • Overall Retention Rate
  • Overall Turnover Rate
  • Voluntary Turnover
  • Involuntary Turnover
  • Retention Rate of Stars
  • Retention Rate of Low Performers
  • Manager’s Satisfaction with Retention Rate
  • Turnover Costs

Activity Instructions

  1. Print the three sets of four cards (12 total, including 4 blank), using the double-sided printing function of your computer. Cut the cards. Laminating the cards makes them more durable.
  2. Review each metric with your team. Consider whether there are any data sets you collect or would like to collect that are not reflected in the cards. Customize the blank cards with these metrics.
  3. Determine which data you are collecting and using well. Put these cards aside as strengths.
  4. Discuss the value of collecting and using the data in the remaining cards.
  5. Select the metrics you can collect and use immediately and over the next three months.
  6. Identify metrics you may want to collect in the future (e.g., after a fiscal or contract year).
  7. Develop an action plan for using and improving turnover and retention metrics.

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,  Human Resources