Criticality of detailed staff turnover measurement

Abstract

Purpose Scrutiny of staff turnover in large organisations is traditionally reactive, involving benchmarking against peers at institution level. Not being an outlier tempts the inference that turnover is “satisfactory”. However, individual departments exhibiting varied, counterbalancing patterns might be masked; meaning situations that present challenges and require action could be missed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the degree to which headline staff turnover can mask internal variations in a large post-1992 English university with over 2,000 staff. Design/methodology/approach The methods scrutinised related mainstream benchmarking sources, and analysed turnover for both new recruits and staff leaving, as well as net turnover. The inverted Nomogramma di Gandy helped highlight overall patterns and identify outliers. Staff categories and characteristics examined included: age, gender, diversity, staff type and contractual status. Findings It was found that (wide) internal variations were masked between university departments and between different gender and age groups, with Generation Y presenting issues for future recruitment and retention. Localised high turnover rates were found, with particular issues involving research staff. A proactive approach is essential, analysing local data to reflect internal structures, and staff categories and characteristics. Understanding internal and external staff dynamics supports organisations to meet strategic aims and objectives, and target local action. Originality/value The approach and findings provided lessons for staff management relevant to universities, which are critical to many, if not most large organisations in the UK and internationally, particularly in times of uncertainty.