The managers were taught how to discover employees' personal career goals. Tie their compensation to it. Reward them with bonuses for keeping turnover low. Penalize them when attrition soars. It's a tactic that sounds promising, but it has yet to receive widespread attention.
Most managers are weary of agreeing to connect their own pay to the whims of others.
Nevertheless, more and more companies are recognizing that retention is up to managers. This realization is gaining momentum because most retention strategies are simple and inexpensive to implement. Most experts agree that, even though the economy is slowing, there's ample reason to stay focused on retention. A closely watched forecasting gauge, the Blue Chip Economic Indicators, is predicting that the economy will grow by just 2.6 percent this year. That's the weakest expected performance in a decade.