Every time a high performer walks out the door, they take more than just their laptop with them. They take institutional knowledge, client relationships, and the unique energy they brought to the team. We often focus on the immediate recruitment costs, but the true impact is felt in the weeks and months of lost productivity while a new hire gets up to speed.
Traditional HR has often relied on exit interviews to understand why people leave. The problem? By the time someone is sitting in an exit interview, it is too late to change their mind. You are looking in the rear-view mirror when you should be looking at the road ahead. This is where retention analytics changes the game for modern people leaders.
By analysing patterns in engagement, performance, and even work preferences, we can identify which teams are at risk long before a resignation letter hits your desk. It is about shifting from a 'gut feeling' about team health to a data-backed strategy that protects your most valuable asset: your people.
Retention analytics is the practice of using data to understand why employees stay and why they leave. It involves collecting information from various touchpoints – such as engagement surveys, performance reviews, and even personality assessments – to build a clear picture of the employee experience.
When we look at this data, we are not just looking for a single reason for turnover. Usually, it is a combination of factors. Perhaps a certain team feels their career growth has stalled, or maybe there is a mismatch between a manager’s style and the team’s natural work personality. Identifying these nuances is the first step in building a more resilient organisation.
At Compono, we have spent over a decade researching what makes teams thrive. We have found that high-performing teams consistently excel in eight key work activities. When these are out of balance, turnover often follows. Using the Compono Culture, Engagement & Performance Model, you can begin to see how these different elements overlap to influence an employee's decision to stay.
The real power of retention analytics lies in predictive modelling. Instead of just reporting that turnover was 15% last quarter, we want to know who might leave in the next six months. This sounds like magic, but it is actually just smart data use. Patterns often emerge in the months leading up to a departure – a dip in survey participation, a plateau in development progress, or a shift in peer feedback.
For example, you might notice that The Pioneer on your team, who usually thrives on innovation and change, has been stuck on repetitive maintenance tasks for too long. Without a new challenge, their engagement will naturally wane. Analytics highlights these red flags so you can intervene with a meaningful career conversation before they start looking elsewhere.
When you have this level of insight, you can move from general 'retention programmes' to targeted interventions. If the data shows that Helpers are feeling burnt out in a high-pressure environment, you can adjust workflows or offer additional support specifically for those roles. It is a more human way to lead because it respects the individual needs of your staff.
We have all heard the cliché that people don't quit jobs, they quit managers. While it is an oversimplification, there is a grain of truth in it. Retention analytics often points to a 'disconnect' between leadership styles and team preferences. A highly directive manager might inadvertently stifle a team of Evaluators who need space to analyse and contribute to decisions.
By mapping the work personalities of your leaders and their teams, you can identify potential friction points. For instance, The Coordinator naturally seeks structure and order, which is great for efficiency but might frustrate a team member who values total autonomy. Analytics doesn't just show the problem; it provides the language to discuss it constructively.
At Compono, we help leaders bridge this gap. Our People Intelligence Platform allows you to see how your team thinks and works, providing practical tips on how to adapt your leadership style. When a manager understands that The Auditor on their team needs detailed instructions and time for review to feel secure, they can provide that support, directly increasing the likelihood of that employee staying long-term.
Data is only useful if it leads to action. Once your retention analytics have identified the 'why' and 'who' of turnover risk, you need to build a practical response. This might involve redesigning roles to better fit natural strengths or implementing a more robust recognition programme that resonates with different personality types.
Consider a scenario where your analytics show a high turnover rate among your most technical staff. You might discover that Doers in these roles feel they are being pulled into too many meetings, preventing them from achieving the 'flow' they need to feel successful. A simple change to 'no-meeting Wednesdays' could be the data-backed solution that saves thousands in recruitment costs.
This is where Compono Engage becomes an essential part of your toolkit. By continuously measuring engagement and sentiment, it provides the real-time data needed to fuel your retention analytics. You can see the impact of your changes as they happen, allowing you to iterate and improve your culture constantly.
Retention doesn't actually start on an employee's first day – it starts during the recruitment process. If you hire someone whose natural work preferences are at odds with the role requirements, no amount of engagement initiatives will keep them forever. Retention analytics can be applied to your hiring data to see which 'profiles' tend to stay the longest in specific roles.
If your data shows that Advisors are your most successful and long-tenured customer success managers, you should prioritise these traits in your next round of hiring. This isn't about excluding people; it's about setting them up for a career where they can truly flourish and feel at home.
With Compono Hire, you can integrate these insights into your selection process from the start. By selecting the work personality you need for a role, you can automatically rank candidates based on their fit for the team's long-term needs. It is about building a team that isn't just capable of doing the work today, but is motivated to stay and grow with you for years to come.
Retention analytics isn't about tracking people – it's about understanding them. When you value the unique contributions and preferences of every team member, you create a workplace where people don't just work, they belong.
Key metrics include voluntary turnover rates, employee engagement scores, average tenure by department, and 'flight risk' indicators based on participation in company initiatives and development progress.
Small businesses can start by tracking simple patterns in exit interviews and using low-cost engagement tools to gather sentiment data. Even without complex software, looking for common themes in why people stay is a form of analytics.
When done correctly, it is the opposite. It shows employees that you are paying attention to their needs and are willing to change the workplace to support them better. Transparency about how data is used is key to maintaining trust.
While it can't predict an exact date, it can identify 'at-risk' groups or individuals by spotting declining engagement levels and shifts in behaviour that historically correlate with turnover.
When an employee's daily tasks align with their natural work personality, they experience higher job satisfaction and lower stress. Mismatches in this area are a leading cause of 'quiet quitting' and eventual resignation.