When top performers walk out the door, it’s rarely without warning—just without anyone noticing in time.
That’s the premise behind McLean & Company’s latest release: the Guide to Assessing Flight Risk of Key Talent, a practical framework aimed at helping HR teams and managers spot early signs of turnover risk and act decisively to retain their most valuable employees. As workforce pressures mount—restructuring, tighter budgets, rising employee expectations—retention has evolved from an HR initiative to a mission-critical business strategy.
And yet, many organizations are still playing defense.
Voluntary Turnover: A Slow Burn With Big Consequences
According to McLean & Company’s 2025 HR Trends Survey, organizations with low voluntary turnover (10% or less) are significantly more likely to hit strategic targets. But too often, the only real insight into why someone leaves comes after the fact—in an exit interview, or worse, a resignation email.
“Every employee departure has a story—but too often, that story is only told in the exit interview, or not at all,” says Molly Woudenberg, Project Manager at McLean & Company. “This guide flips that narrative.”
Instead of guessing—or waiting—McLean’s framework brings structure, consistency, and empathy to the process of talent retention.
Why Gut Instinct Doesn’t Cut It Anymore
Many companies still rely on informal assessments and manager “gut checks” to gauge employee satisfaction. That’s a risky game in today’s job market. With high-performing workers having more options than ever, a passive approach means leaders often don’t see the red flags until it’s too late.
McLean’s research emphasizes that turnover is not only predictable—it’s preventable. Their guide breaks it down into a three-step process:
Step 1: Prepare to Assess
HR and senior leadership align on roles most critical to the business, the scope of the analysis, and key data inputs. That includes performance trends, promotion history, tenure, absenteeism, and employee engagement signals. This step ensures the process is focused, consistent, and tailored to the organization’s culture and maturity level.
Step 2: Conduct the Assessment
Managers use a blend of quantitative and qualitative data, assessing indicators such as job satisfaction, recognition, career growth, and leadership trust. But it’s not just about dashboards—“stay conversations” are key. These proactive dialogues surface underlying concerns that numbers alone can’t reveal.
Step 3: Mitigate and Monitor
For employees flagged as high flight risk, HR partners with managers to co-create personalized retention plans—from flexible work options to career development paths. Contingency planning is also built in. Crucially, this isn’t a one-time exercise: flight risk is revisited after major changes or on a regular cadence.
Beyond Prevention: Building a Culture of Commitment
McLean’s approach isn’t just about plugging holes in the retention pipeline. It’s about shifting from reactive backfilling to proactive talent stewardship. That means not only anticipating departures but actively creating the conditions that make people want to stay.
The firm also urges HR to lead with insight and empathy, turning risk detection into an opportunity to reinforce support and engagement—before employees disengage or look elsewhere.
A Timely Solution for a Changing Workforce
In an era where reorgs and AI-driven disruption are shaking up roles and expectations, keeping key talent has never been more complex—or more crucial. The cost of losing high performers goes well beyond recruitment spend: it’s lost momentum, knowledge drain, and potential revenue left on the table.
With this guide, McLean & Company is offering a scalable, evidence-based solution for HR teams serious about retention. And for those ready to go deeper, the firm provides a dedicated workshop to help implement the framework within their unique organizational context.
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