For those who are in management (civilian side of the house), what is an "average" turnover percentage?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 20:49:36 -0400

A little background. Since retired I've been hired into a mid level management position. The more I see of the civilian side of life in the "corporate" world I'm wondering if there is a semi solid percentage that is out there on turnover and reasons why it is either high or low(low is kind of obvious).

Response by SPC David S. made Oct 2 at 2016 9:51 PM

SPC David S. — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 21:51:46 -0400

All industries is around 15% however this varies depending on industry. There are as well a host of reasons that contribute to turnover - pay, being poorly managed, bored/not challenged. Money is not a fix all in retention and just like in the military a solid retention plan should be developed as turnover can be contagious in my experience. When one finds greener grass it tends to peek others curiosity in wondering their own value. I think the best approach is to find what motivates your employees and look for ways to use their motivation in keeping them engaged and feeling challenged and appreciated.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 2 at 2016 11:04 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 23:04:05 -0400

Agree it depends on the market sector you work in. My direct experience was on the Fed side. With so many baby boomers punching out, the brain drain has been hitting things hard. I know the Naval shipyard in Bremerton have been aggressively hiring at a 2 for 1 rate for some time to try and alleviate this along with normal attrition. A number of DoD outfits are running a 7% vacancy rate on top of it, NAVFAC being one of them in same regions. Although there isn't supposed to be age discrimination, there's a growing desire for career ladder type fills with employees that have at least a 7-10 year burn time left in them. It's a demographics and continuity thing to try and break a bad cycle we're in. It will take years to get to the next normal. Discrimination? Not when you use the tools to legally execute workforce shaping.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2016 3:05 PM

MCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 15:05:51 -0400

This can't really be answered - there are too many variables. I've seen some industries where 5% annually is considered high - and others where 150% annually is "low" and is a targeted goal.

Response by SFC Scott VanKerkvoorde made Oct 27 at 2016 11:24 PM

SFC Scott VanKerkvoorde — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 23:24:02 -0400

It can depend upon the current goals of the corporation. In past years I've seen organisations wanting to spin off realise they were way over employed and begin to slough off through either layoffs or 10% low performer reductions in the name of six sigma. Size of organisation can impact as well. Small companies cannot hold unnecessary employees for long if they find they don't need them. From a personal survival perspective, I think the trick is to find a position in charge of something valuable to the organisation and then becoming successful in leading that effort. As a former IT professional that got bogged down in middle management functional positions just long enough for his technical skills to be diluted and outdated, I'd recommend you keep your saw sharpened and be ready to change lanes.