This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

Keeping the Good Ones Around Are you afraid your key employees are ready to walk? Here's what you can do to keep your most valuable players around.

By Mark Henricks

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Every time one of the 46 employees of J.L. Patterson & Associates leaves, the company loses expertise, incurs the expense of hiring a replacement and risks alienating customers who must deal with a new recruit. "It leaves a huge void," says Jacqueline Patterson, 47-year-old founder of the Orange, California, engineering company with $7 million in 2005 sales. "We try to avoid having people leave us whenever possible."

Employee retention is a major concern for entrepreneurs everywhere. In fact, entrepreneurs see it as the single most critical factor for business success in 2006, according to Entrepreneur magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers' first annual "Entrepreneurial Challenges Survey," which was reported in the January issue of Entrepreneur. Seventy-three percent of the founders and CEOs of 340 fast-growth businesses surveyed said retaining key workers was the biggest issue they faced. The next-ranking issue, developing new products and services, was named most important by only 38 percent of entrepreneurs.

Experts say retention should be a serious concern. "If you accept high turnover rates, it's costing you a lot," says Greg Smith, a Conyers, Georgia, retention consultant. "It costs about two and a half times a person's annual salary to replace them. And the more talent a person brings to the company, the more expensive that person becomes to replace." High turnover can also affect marketplace perception, employee morale and productivity, and a host of other factors.