How to Stay Informed on Employee Retention Best Practices: 8 Resources
Staying ahead in employee retention requires a multifaceted approach to gathering information. This article presents a comprehensive guide to accessing valuable insights from industry experts and unconventional sources alike. By combining strategic conversations, real-time experiences, and data-driven strategies, organizations can develop effective retention practices that prioritize both people and performance.
- Uncover Raw Insights from Unexpected Sources
- Mix Strategic Conversations with Real-Time Experience
- Balance People-First Approach with Data-Driven Strategies
- Combine Industry Resources with Employee Feedback
- Implement Stay Interviews for Retention Improvement
- Leverage Diverse Resources for Retention Insights
- Pair Academic Research with Candid Peer Conversations
- Watch Behavior Patterns to Identify Retention Trends
Uncover Raw Insights from Unexpected Sources
Honestly, I stay on top of employee retention trends by ignoring most of the articles about employee retention.
Hear me out—by the time something’s a “best practice” on LinkedIn, it’s already outdated or over-polished. Instead, I look for signals in places that aren’t trying to be thought leadership at all. Reddit threads, exit interviews, anonymous Glassdoor rants, and group chats between operators who don’t sugarcoat what’s happening behind the scenes are where the raw stuff lives—the unfiltered “why I stayed” and “why I left” that never makes it into company slide decks.
I also hang out in a few private Slack and Discord groups where founders, team leads, and people ops folks are brutally honest about what’s working and what blew up in their face. These aren’t “community-as-a-service” networks—they’re scrappy, invite-only spaces where someone will share a Notion doc of their failed retention plan before you’ve even finished your coffee. And that’s way more useful than some polished ebook.
Another thing I do: I pay attention to what people aren’t saying. If no one’s asking about career progression in a company Q&A, that’s a signal. If “flexibility” keeps popping up in 1:1s but no one takes their PTO, something’s off. Trends don’t just live in data—they echo in silence.
Also, I steal shamelessly from industries outside tech. Hospitality, teaching, even military team building—they’ve been thinking about loyalty and burnout forever. Sometimes, the solution to retaining a senior engineer isn’t another stock grant—it’s borrowing a mentorship ritual from a firehouse crew or an onboarding ritual from a Montessori classroom.
Bottom line? The best retention practices don’t usually come from trend reports. They come from lived experiences, shared messes, and listening closely when no one thinks you’re listening. That’s where the real insight is hiding.
Derek Pankaew
CEO & Founder, Listening.com
Mix Strategic Conversations with Real-Time Experience
I stay current mostly by staying curious. There’s no silver bullet, but I’ve found a mix of strategic conversations, tailored feeds, and trial-by-fire experience works best. At Spectup, we regularly support startups and scale-ups navigating talent gaps, so we get a front-row seat to what’s working—and what’s falling apart—in real time. One moment I’m helping a founder figure out how to keep their CTO from leaving post-Series A, and the next, I’m reviewing how a portfolio company’s culture audit completely reshaped their churn rate. That kind of exposure forces you to stay sharp.
I keep tabs on a few solid newsletters—First Round Review, People People, and some of the better Substacks on organizational design and leadership. LinkedIn is surprisingly useful, but only if you aggressively curate your feed. I’ve also found that talking directly with other founders, consultants, and even HR leads in our network gives more relevant insight than most articles ever could. There’s also value in just asking the team—especially the newer hires—what attracted them to the company and what keeps them here. You’d be surprised how often those answers shift and reveal cracks early.
Niclas Schlopsna
Managing Consultant and CEO, spectup
Balance People-First Approach with Data-Driven Strategies
Staying up-to-date on employee retention trends means staying connected to both people-first leadership circles and data-driven HR communities—because retention isn’t just about culture, it’s also about strategy.
For me, the best insights come from a mix of modern HR newsletters like PeopleFWD, Lenny’s Newsletter (which often addresses team health from a product/ops angle), and LinkedIn conversations with founders, COOs, and People Ops leads. I also follow communities like People Geeks by Culture Amp and StartupHR—because they’re not just theory-driven, they’re sharing real-world challenges from fast-moving teams.
But beyond content, I rely on conversations. Checking in with team leads, conducting exit interviews, and even using casual Slack polls provide better signals than some whitepaper ever will. The market changes rapidly—what retained employees a year ago might not suffice now. So staying current means listening more than lecturing, and testing small cultural shifts like asynchronous work weeks, skip-level one-on-ones, or transparent compensation bands to see what actually resonates.
It’s not about finding one retention hack—it’s about treating your team like a product: always listening, iterating, and never assuming it’s “finished.”
Daniel Haiem
CEO, App Makers LA
Combine Industry Resources with Employee Feedback
At GreenAce Lawncare, we prioritize staying ahead of the curve when it comes to trends and best practices in employee retention. Being a smaller company, it’s vital for us to create a workplace where our team feels valued and supported. I stay updated through a combination of industry-specific resources and personal connections.
I rely on a mix of trusted trade publications, networking with fellow lawn care business owners, and attending local landscaping conferences. These events often feature workshops that tackle employee retention strategies, from offering competitive benefits to fostering a positive company culture.
I also take a hands-on approach by regularly connecting with my employees. Open communication is key. By listening to their concerns and celebrating their successes, I get direct feedback about what works and what doesn’t. This informal method of gathering insights helps me stay in tune with the pulse of the company and ensures that retention efforts are genuinely meeting their needs.
Additionally, the landscaping community is tight-knit in Boston, and I often reach out to local business leaders who share their experiences and tips on building strong, long-term teams. Another important source is digital resources such as online forums and social media groups. These platforms allow me to see what other lawn care businesses are doing to retain talent. Through discussions and shared stories, I can refine my own practices, ensuring that GreenAce remains an attractive place to work.
It’s not just about wages or benefits; it’s about creating an environment where our crew feels part of something bigger than just lawn care. Lastly, we invest in training programs for our employees to ensure their growth. When employees see a path for advancement and feel confident in their skills, they are more likely to stay with the company.
Over the years, I’ve learned that a mix of consistent feedback, fair compensation, and professional development is the foundation of a successful retention strategy.
Frank Sturm
CEO, Green Ace Lawn Care
Implement Stay Interviews for Retention Improvement
At Nature Sparkle, staying on top of employee retention trends meant making learning a regular habit. I subscribed to HR blogs like SHRM and used LinkedIn groups to connect with other business owners facing similar challenges. We also attended virtual HR webinars every quarter to hear firsthand from experts. One major change we made was introducing a quarterly “stay interview” with employees, where we asked what was working and what wasn’t. This simple yet effective move helped us identify retention gaps early.
After six months of implementing this strategy, our employee retention improved by 27.6%. The “stay interviews” revealed that offering more flexibility in work hours and acknowledging employees’ achievements regularly were key factors. By staying connected to the broader HR community and acting on real-time feedback, we were able to adjust quickly and keep our team happy and engaged, improving overall performance and reducing turnover. It was all about listening and adapting.
Yoad Bet Yosef
Owner, Nature Sparkle
Leverage Diverse Resources for Retention Insights
Staying up-to-date with the latest trends in employee retention can be overwhelming given the wealth of resources available. However, here are a few that I consistently rely on:
CIPD – Their annual conferences are incredible events that offer valuable insights into the latest trends. Beyond the content, the opportunity to connect with peers and share experiences is what I truly cherish. For me, learning from others’ experiences is one of the most impactful ways to stay informed. That’s why we also make it a point to regularly speak with our customers – many of whom are in HR. Their feedback, advice, and insights fuel our work and guide us on a daily basis.
HR Leaders Podcast – I spend a lot of time commuting, so I listen to the HR Leaders Podcast regularly. The guests are engaging and offer a candid look into their experiences, both the successes and the mistakes. Christopher Rainey, the host, has a highly engaging LinkedIn page where he shares additional insights and keeps the community informed.
HR Ninja – As mentioned, I learn best through conversation, and HR Ninja has cultivated an amazing community where practical and honest advice is shared. The insights shared here are always real-world applicable and offer a deeper understanding of the challenges and solutions in HR.
Employee Engagement Summit – This annual event is one I look forward to again next year. It’s a fantastic way to learn about emerging trends in employee engagement and retention, surrounded by like-minded professionals who are passionate about driving people forward and improving organizational culture.
These resources, whether through events, podcasts, or communities, are invaluable for staying current in the ever-evolving field of employee retention. It’s the mix of expert insights and real-world experience that keeps me ahead of the curve.
Tsvetelina Hinova
Co-Founder and Director, Thankbox
Pair Academic Research with Candid Peer Conversations
Staying current on employee retention trends means listening as much as reading. I stay engaged with academic healthcare journals, particularly those focused on organizational behavior and workforce studies in mental health. These sources ground me in evidence-based models rather than passing buzzwords. I also participate in executive roundtables focused on behavioral health workforce development. The discussions are direct, often unfiltered, and highlight operational realities you won’t find in articles.
Alpas also maintains relationships with university programs in healthcare administration, which helps us bring in early-career professionals and understand what drives their expectations. Retention isn’t about perks; it’s about aligning the structure of the workplace with what people actually need to thrive. That perspective only sharpens when you’re learning directly from those inside the system. For me, the most valuable retention insight comes from pairing formal research with candid peer conversations and staff feedback.
Sean Smith
Founder, CEO & Ex Head of HR, Alpas Wellness
Watch Behavior Patterns to Identify Retention Trends
I keep retention strategies fresh by watching behavior, not headlines. Sooner or later, people tell you exactly what they want. If two techs are late the same week, that is not random, that is pressure! I log it. If three nurses burn out mid-quarter, that is a pattern. I flag it. Trends start inside your walls, not on a white paper. I take what my team does in real time, tweak it, then pressure test it. Most of what I track costs under $50 to fix and takes less than 10 minutes to tweak. Like I said, the real data shows up at work.
To be fair, I like direct feedback, but I trust quiet behavior more. If five people skip lunch every day, something is off. If someone pulls back after training, something broke. You catch trends by acting like a student of the floor, not the boardroom. It is cheaper, faster and way more accurate than trying to chase what’s trending outside. That is how I do it.
Kiara DeWitt, RN, CPN
Founder & CEO, Injectco