Most Companies Lost Top Talent in Past Year

PHILADELPHIA, PA — July 26, 2011 — Despite the generally slow job market, three out of four organizations lost high-performing employees they did not want to lose during the past year, according to a survey by Right Management. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, the world leader in innovative workforce solutions.

Only 13% survey respondents’ organizations saw no departures of top talent over the past 12 months. Respondents from more than 268 organizations throughout North America responded to the  Right Management poll which was conducted in June and July.

Has your organization involuntarily lost top talent in the past year?

Yes 75%
No 13%
Don’t know 12%

When a similar Right Management survey was conducted a year ago, only 54% of the respondents reported losing talent.

“We found that most organizations are finding it tough to hold onto their best people even when there are relatively few job openings,” said Bram Lowsky, Right Management’s Group Executive Vice President for the Americas. “Previous research findings tell us there’s a furious war for top talent under way, constant poaching of high performers by competing companies and, overall, a very restive workforce. The latest survey shows organizations losing the employees they need, erosion that may accelerate once the job market picks up.”

Modest turnover is always to be expected, conceded Lowsky. “The challenge is always to retain your best contributors, to target them for development and show them they have a future with the organization. It’s really not enough to tell them to wait until the economy improves, especially if they’re new employees and more impatient for opportunity and advancement. Employers are learning the hard way that they must take the steps needed to preserve their key competitive advantage, their talent.”

Lowsky observed, “Top talent always has employment options. They’ll usually find some place that they feel appreciates what they bring.”

About Right Management
Right Management is the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, the world leader in innovative workforce solutions. Right Management helps clients win in the changing world of work by designing and executing workforce solutions that align talent strategy with business strategy. Our expertise spans Talent Assessment, Leader Development, Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Engagement, and Workforce Transition and Outplacement. With offices in over 50 countries, Right Management partners with companies of all sizes. More than 80% of Fortune 500 companies are currently working with us to help them grow talent, reduce costs and accelerate performance.

This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.