The Ultimate Guide to Employee Turnover & Retention

Because losing employees is expensive, stressful, and most importantly fixable. 

Employee turnover isn’t just an HR issue... it’s a business issue. And if you’re a business owner thinking: 

• “Why do my employees keep leaving?” 

• “Is it me?” 

• “Is it the pay?” 

• “Is Mercury in retrograde?” 

…don't worry. You're not alone. 

This guide breaks down turnover in a real, honest, non-boring way, and shows you how to keep your best people. 

Why Employees Actually Leave (Not the Fake Reasons) 

Most employees won’t tell you the real reason they’re leaving. Instead, they give you the polite farewell speech: 

“I just got a better opportunity.” “It’s not you, it’s me.” 

But we know better. 

Here are the real drivers behind employee turnover: 

1. Untrained or overwhelmed managers - People leave managers, not jobs. Leadership training is everything. 

2. Burnout - If workloads are always “just a little crazy,” expect exits. 

3. No growth path - Employees won’t stay where the future is unclear. 

4. Compensation gaps - If your pay isn’t keeping up, your retention won’t either. 

5. Culture inconsistency - People want belonging, not confusion. 

The True Cost of Turnover 

Spoiler: it’s a LOT more than you think. 

Most business owners underestimate turnover costs because the damage is hidden. 

Replacing an employee costs 1–3x their salary when you factor in: 

• Lost productivity 

• Retraining 

• Time spent interviewing 

• Team morale dropping 

• Customer frustration 

• Burnout for employees picking up the slack 

Turnover isn’t just inconvenient...it’s expensive. 

The AlphaDog HR Retention Blueprint 

When clients come to us panicking about turnover, this is the framework we use to stop the bleeding. 

1. Clarity - Clear job descriptions, clear expectations, clear communication. 

2. Coaching - Managers can’t “wing it.” They need tools, training, and guidance. 

3. Connection - Employees stay where they feel respected and supported. 

4. Compensation - Fair pay is foundational, not optional. 

5. Career Roadmaps - If employees can see a future, they’ll stay long enough to build it. 

How to Know If You Have a Turnover Problem 

Even if no one is saying it out loud, these signs speak for themselves: 

• New hires leaving within 90 days 

• Chronic hiring for the same roles 

• Managers constantly overwhelmed 

• Teams disengaged or quiet 

• Exit interviews with recurring themes 

• Productivity dipping 

If you’re nodding at even one of these… it’s time to take action. 

Quick Wins to Boost Retention Immediately 

You don’t need to overhaul everything today, start here: 

Hold Stay Interviews 

Find out what people love about working with you before they leave. 

Train Managers 

Good managers retain employees. Bad ones replace them. 

Update Onboarding 

Structured onboarding increases retention by up to 82%. 

Offer Transparency 

Unclear communication creates anxiety, and turnover. 

Balance Workloads 

If your culture is “we’re all drowning,” people eventually swim away. 

How AlphaDog HR Helps You Reduce Turnover 

If HR feels overwhelming or confusing (or you just don’t want to deal with it), that’s exactly what we’re here for. 

AlphaDog HR helps: 

• Diagnose why employees are leaving 

• Build retention-focused HR systems 

• Train and support managers 

• Strengthen communication & culture 

• Improve onboarding workflows 

• Create consistent processes employees trust 

We take the HR chaos off your plate, so you can focus on running and growing your business. 

Book a consultation with AlphaDog HR Consulting. Let’s turn your workplace into one people want to stay in.