turnover is costing you
Hiii,
Currently thoroughly enjoying my OOO time, but you know I still have to unpack all the chaos we're living through, but with a hint of sarcasm and some good company.
(You’re the good company, BTW 🫶)
The show must go on!
This week, we're talking about turnover costs that'll make you want to scream into a pillow, why your impatience at work might actually be a trauma response (thanks, childhood!), and how we've somehow convinced ourselves that juggling 20 apps and back-to-back meetings counts as productivity.
Let’s have some fun!
🗞️ Here’s the Tea:Copy anchor linkCopied
😮 Turnover costs exceed $45K per worker, report finds
The TL;DR: Turnover costs have jumped to over $45K per employee (up from $36K last year), and half of US companies are now bracing for higher turnover in 2026, which is up from just 33% in 2023. The main culprits are better pay and benefits elsewhere (32%) and increased workplace demands (37%), while workers are using AI to research salaries and 73% say higher pay is their top priority this year.
My POV: Workers are out here using AI to research salaries while companies are budgeting 3.5% raises like it's 2015, and somehow we're all supposed to pretend this math works out???
Unfortunately you can’t "culture initiative" your way out of a pay problem, but you can get a better understanding of what your people want and what controllable variables will keep them around!
At the end of the day, if top performers don’t feel like they’re being taken care of, they will bounce.
🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:Copy anchor linkCopied
"When you're more self-aware, you tend to have a higher emotional intelligence, and that means you likely have more productive relationships with the people around you."Copy anchor linkCopied
On the mic this week: Mary Pat Jacobs is a leadership coach and organizational development consultant who helps leaders get unstuck by understanding how their instincts, patterns, and energy shape the way they lead. She's a Kolbe-certified consultant and IPEC-certified professional coach who brings curiosity about human behavior into her practice.
Pin this:
- Urgency can be a stress response to avoid uncomfortable feelings like disappointment, especially when tied to childhood experiences of wanting to make people proud.
- Pause before reacting. Ask yourself: Does this need to get done right now? Urgency is often made up, and autopilot prevents you from being present.
- Self-awareness needs support. Even when you know your patterns, coaching creates space for breakthroughs you can't get to alone.
- Choose generous interpretations. Instead of "they're not a top performer," ask what the most generous explanation could be for how someone's showing up.
My H*ly Sh*t Moment: My (admitted) impatience isn't just a personality trait after all. It's a stress response rooted in childhood experiences that can take a long time to untangle!
▶️ Press Play
📊 Data Is My Love Language:Copy anchor linkCopied
Stat: Workers say they only get between 2 and 3 hours of daily focus time
My spiral: We've somehow decided that back-to-back meetings and juggling 20 apps is work, and now people can barely think for more than a couple of hours without interruption.
We built this chaotic work environment where focus is basically impossible, then bought a bunch of AI tools thinking that'll magically fix the fact that nobody can concentrate because they're constantly being pinged about things that could've been an email.
Just saying.
🛠️ In Your Toolkit Copy anchor linkCopied
If you're being asked to simultaneously cut costs and care deeply about people (with zero context and unrealistic timelines, naturally), you're not alone!
But, you definitely need better tools to survive this impossible balancing act.
This month's HR Therapy sesh on Feb 25th is tackling People vs. Payroll: The HR Cost Balancing Act, where we're getting into the real decisions HR is currently carrying.
For example, what gets cut, what gets protected, and how to navigate budget pressure without becoming the villain or burning out.
Save your spot and join us!
🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF
We all have those things we do because they're supposed to happen (e.g. annual reviews, engagement surveys, onboarding checklists) but somewhere along the way, they stopped serving anyone and just became compliance theater.
The stuff that used to matter turned into something everyone tolerates instead of values.
“What's one HR ritual that's become a box-checking exercise, and how would you reinvent it?”
🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:
In my experience, most people won't tell you what they actually need unless you create space for it.
We assume if something's wrong, they'll speak up…but that's not how trust works, and it's definitely not how power dynamics work.
“Start your next 1:1 by asking, ‘What's something you need from me that you haven't said yet?’”
👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE
Oooof, I feel this in my bones. Some days, the audacity is just chef's kiss levels of unhinged.
Read what members had to say here.
I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know what you think and what other topics you'd love for me to cover. I'm allll ears.
Reminder: Take care of yourself and know that I support you.
