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World Economic Forum: A study of 1 million employees shows what happens when colleagues leave

16 May 2023
If you tend to surround yourself with employees who work as hard as you do, you might be more influenced by them than you think.

Originally found at World Economic Forum

There’s quitting time, and then there’s quitting time. At some point or another, you’ve probably felt the urge to hang up your hat, toss your phone into the Place de la Concorde, and put in official notice.

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.


Continue reading the original article at World Economic Forum.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.

Read the Academy of Management Insights summary.

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