How to Stop the Revolving Door (and Hold onto Your Best People)

If you've noticed an increase in employees leaving recently, you may be looking for a solution to stop the revolving door and make sure you hold on to your best people.

We’ve all heard the saying - people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers, but if you're brave enough to conduct exit interviews, you may find that’s not the whole story.

The silent reason good people walk away

Sometimes your best people leave not because they dislike their manager, or because they want more money… but because they no longer feel like they belong.

• If your company has grown quickly, the culture may feel different.

• When long term employees leave and new people join the team, the dynamics shift.

• Bigger projects has added on pressure and no one has time to chat anymore.

Whatever the reason, once belonging fades, engagement drops and that’s when people start quietly updating their LinkedIn profile.

Why connection matters more than ever

In the post-pandemic workplace, connection has become one of the biggest competitive differences between businesses for several reasons:

• Hybrid and remote working means we don’t see each other as often.

• Teams are spread across locations, departments, and sometimes time zones.

• Change is constant — restructures, new hires, new systems.

Without intentional effort to connect, it’s easy for people to feel isolated or invisible.

The trouble is, when people feel disconnected trust disappears, they stop communicating, collaboration becomes harder and frustrations grow.

And when trust goes, performance often follows.

The cost of disconnection on your bottom line

Gallup’s research shows that disengaged employees are 18% less productive and 37% more likely to leave.

Replacing a good team member can cost anywhere from 6 to 9 months’ salary and before you get your calculator out, that’s not including the lost years of experience, knowledge, and client relationships.

So connection isn’t a “soft skill” nice-to-have it’s a must for performance and profit.

What connection really means at work

Connection is more than just “getting along” or “having banter” in the breaks.

It’s about people:

• Feeling heard and understood by their team as well as their manager

• Knowing they can speak up without fear of being ignored or dismissed

• Trusting that someone will have their back when times are tough

• Having shared values as well as aiming for the same goals

When those things are in place, people stay engaged even when things get busy or stressful.

Why connection is a leadership responsibility

Leaders and managers set the tone for connection. If you model being open, showing empathy, and giving trust, your team will follow. The challenge most of our clients find is that not every manager finds this easy and very few have been trained how to intentionally build connection.

They may be brilliant technically, but that doesn’t mean they are naturally good with people and know how to create a strong team. That’s a skill, and like any skill, it can be learned.

The Connection Workshop – a practical way to create connection

That’s exactly why Bold Moves Coaching have created The Connection Workshop.

It’s a 3-hour, in-person session that helps teams understand themselves and each other better, so they can work together with more trust, empathy, and respect.

We help people discover their natural communication style, recognise different styles in others, and learn how to adapt so everyone feels included and valued.

What we cover:

• Understanding your own strengths, motivators, and style

• Recognising the signs of disconnection in your team

• Adapting your approach to get the best out of different personalities

• Practical tools to reduce misunderstandings and build trust

What your business gains:

• Engaged, loyal employees who want to stay

• Stronger relationships across the team and loyalty with their managers

• Fewer misunderstandings and less mistakes across projects

• Higher productivity because people stop working in solos and collaborate

Client Example

I recently worked with a growing SME where staff turnover had doubled in a year and the business costs in recruitment, time spent interviewing and training were getting out of hand.

Why were they leaving? Some people spoke about pay, but exit interviews revealed others felt “out of the loop” and “less connected” than when the business was smaller.

After the Connection Workshop, managers had the tools to adapt their communication, check in with individuals more effectively, and bring the team together.

Within six months:

• Staff retention improved

• Recruitment costs reduced

• Senior management had a solid plan to reconnect people to their vision

  
  

They realised the importance of ensuring people felt like they mattered.

3 ways to start improving connection today

Even before you book a workshop, you can make a difference by making these 3 bold moves:

1. Weekly check-ins – Not only “How’s it going?” but also “What’s going well this week?”

2. Sharing wins – Celebrate team and individual achievements publicly in team meetings

3. Clarity in change – When something shifts, explain why and how it affects the team

These small changes build trust — and trust builds connection.

Want to reduce your recruitment costs?

If you’ve noticed friction, silence in meetings, or a drop in morale then it could be due to connection and may be the reason you’re losing good people.

The Connection Workshop gives your managers and teams the insight and tools to rebuild trust, adapt to different styles, and create a culture where people feel they belong.

Click here to find out more or if you're ready to go ahead Book Your Intro Call