For every great employee who moves on from their job, there’s a team left behind that feels the departure. Maybe a teammate was great at their gig, able to balance books or keep projects moving at the speed of a plate spinner. Or maybe they held up a Herculean morale, becoming beloved as a work bestie, a master mentor, or a person who made everybody feel like they were part of something bigger. So what happens when the best employees exit? A new study examines those dynamics.

Do more employees quit when high performers leave?

You might suspect that when great teammates leave, more will follow them. And it’s true: Exits by top performers do set off more departures from their company. But surprisingly, the level of impact (and turnover) depends on exactly how they exit.