There’s a reality many organizations are still resisting: employees are not staying forever.
The average tenure has settled into a three- to four-year range, particularly in IT and service management roles. This shift isn’t a temporary trend. It’s the current state of the workforce and it’s unlikely to change any time in the foreseeable future. Yet many organizations and leaders continue to approach retention as if longevity can be enforced, rather than earned.
It can’t.
And when organizations try, the results are often counterproductive, and at times, inappropriate.
Across the industry, there are still examples of leaders responding to employee departures by:
- Control tactics, instead of professional maturity
- Back-channel conversations designed to block opportunities
- Hesitation or outright refusal to support career progression
- Pay increases as bribery to stay, rather than a reward for a job well done.
- Attempts to influence hiring decisions at other organizations to prevent an employee from leaving
These actions are often rationalized as protecting the team or the business. In reality, they are rooted in something else: ego.
Of course, we are reluctant to lose a high performer. There is the real and perceived impact on metrics, performance and other employees. There is the costly and time-consuming effort of backfilling the position and training the new-hire. There is also the potential discomfort of explaining attrition to senior leadership. But when leaders prioritize their own concerns over an employee’s career progression, they erode the trust they need to build a strong, sustainable workforce.
Even when those tactics appear to work and the employee stays, the damage is already done. Engagement declines. Trust is broken. And the organization is left managing the long-term consequences of a short-term decision.
Retention, in its most effective form, is not about preventing people from leaving. It is about creating an environment where staying continues to make sense.
Redefining Retention
Employees today are not looking to stay with a single employer until they are awarded the proverbial gold watch at retirement. They are looking for progress.
When that progress is not available internally, they will pursue it elsewhere. This is not a failure of loyalty, it is a reflection of professional ambition. Organizations that interpret movement as disloyalty are solving for the wrong problem.
The more relevant question is not, “How do we stop employees from leaving?” but rather, “What are we doing to ensure employees can grow while they are here?”
Creating Meaningful Career Pathways
One of the most effective ways to extend tenure is to make growth visible and attainable.
Career paths should not be abstract frameworks that exist only in documentation. They must be clearly defined, actively discussed and supported through tangible opportunities. This includes not only upward mobility, but also lateral and technical progression.
A common misstep, particularly within service desk environments, is the assumption that advancement requires moving into management. While leadership roles are important, they are not the only path forward.
High-performing technical professionals often seek to deepen their expertise, rather than shift into people leadership. Organizations that fail to provide technical career ladders risk losing precisely the talent they are trying to retain.
Effective career pathing includes:
- Defined technical and leadership tracks
- Skill-based progression with clear expectations
- Access to training, certifications and project work
- Opportunities to broaden experience across functions through cross-training, shadowing and mentorship
Service desks, in particular, are uniquely positioned as development hubs. They provide exposure to business operations, customer interaction and technical troubleshooting. When leveraged effectively, they can serve as a launch point for a wide range of IT careers.
When neglected, they become high-turnover environments by default.
Building an Employer-of-Choice Reputation
It is a mistake to believe that retention is driven by policy alone. It is driven by reputation, visible action and trust.
It’s not just what your current employees are saying, but your former employees, as well.
So, what does it take to position your organization as an employer of choice? Many organizations approach it as a branding exercise. This is a mistake. Building a reputation as an employer of choice is far more likely to be the result of consistent behaviors:
- Providing equitable and competitive compensation
- Investing in employee development and career mobility
- Treating employees with professionalism and respect
- Supporting career decisions, even when they lead outside the organization
Employees talk. They share experiences with peers, on professional networks and within their broader communities. Organizations that attempt to control employee movement may retain individuals in the short term, but they undermine their long-term reputation in the market.
Conversely, organizations that handle departures with integrity build credibility. They become known as places where people can grow, contribute and make informed career decisions without unnecessary friction.
Taking a Long-Term View of Talent
Not all turnover is negative. In fact, some of it is both inevitable and beneficial.
Employees who leave to gain new experiences may well return later in their careers, bringing expanded skills, broader perspectives and increased value. These “boomerang employees” represent a significant opportunity for organizations that maintain positive relationships beyond the point of departure.
However, this outcome depends entirely on how the exit is managed.
If employees encounter resistance, pressure or interference when pursuing external opportunities, the relationship is unlikely to recover. If they are supported, respected and recognized for their contributions, the door remains open.
Organizations that adopt a long-term view of talent recognize that employment is not always linear or permanent. Instead, it is part of an ongoing professional relationship that may evolve over time.
A Practical Shift for Leaders
For leaders, this requires a shift in mindset:
- From control to credibility
- From short-term retention to long-term reputation
- From ownership of talent to stewardship of careers
It also requires a willingness to address uncomfortable realities. Employees will leave. Some of your strongest performers will pursue opportunities elsewhere. And respecting an employee’s desire for growth and movement is a far better strategy than burning bridges.
The measure of success is not whether employees stay indefinitely. It is whether they stay engaged while they are part of the organization, and whether they leave with enough respect and trust to speak positively about their experience.
Organizations that embrace this approach find that retention improves. Not because employees are prevented from leaving, but because they are given compelling reasons to stay.
And when they do leave, they often return, more experienced, more capable and more valuable than before.
That is not a failure of retention.
It is a reflection of leadership done well.