Regrettable turnover

Definition

The departure of high-performing, valuable employees—the type of turnover that actually hurts the organization. The kind of exit that makes managers say things like 'But we're the good guys!'

Example Usage

The loss of three senior engineers represents regrettable turnover that will slow our product roadmap significantly.

Origin

Concept developed in the 2000s to distinguish between losing poor performers (good) vs. stars (bad)

Fun Fact

Regrettable turnover costs organizations an average of 150-200% of the employee's annual salary in productivity loss.

Source: HR retention and talent management

Related Terms

Beginner

interview

A choreographed conversation where one person asks questions and the other pretends their weaknesses are actually strengths. In the corporate world, it's a ritual where both parties lie professionally—one about loving "dynamic environments" and the other about "competitive compensation." The outcome is usually determined in the first five minutes, but both sides politely continue the charade for another 45.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

Core Hours

The times you must be working even with flexible schedules, usually 10 AM to 4 PM, which defeats the purpose of flexibility.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

360 review

A feedback process where everyone in your orbit gets to anonymously roast you, ensuring that workplace grudges can be aired without accountability. It's democracy applied to performance reviews, which works about as well as you'd expect.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

phased retirement

Gradually reducing work hours or responsibilities as employees transition toward full retirement, theoretically enabling knowledge transfer. It's the professional equivalent of easing into cold water instead of diving in.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Conflict Resolution

HR's term for getting two coworkers to stop fighting long enough to fill out paperwork about the fight. It involves mediation, active listening, and pretending that a shared Google Doc about feelings will solve deep-seated professional resentment.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

reference check

The practice of contacting a candidate's previous employers or colleagues to verify their claims and uncover potential red flags. Essentially calling their exes to ask if they were really as great as they claim.

👥 Human Resources

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