Widespread talent shortages have pushed employee retention and engagement to the top of the HR agenda—because leaders know the cost of getting it wrong.
High turnover rates lead to serious losses for a business, both financial and cultural. An unmotivated and unproductive workforce is both costly and tough on morale.
Businesses can’t hire their way out of this problem. A better, more equitable, and more cost-effective way is to help your flight-risk employees find a pathway to success and job satisfaction through career growth and development opportunities.
What is a flight risk employee?
A flight risk employee is one who’s likely to leave their job soon, whether due to dissatisfaction in their current job or to better opportunities arising elsewhere, or both.
Gallup’s 2026 retention research says self-reported turnover risk is at its highest point since 2015, with half of US employees (52%) saying they are watching or actively seeking a new job. To quote a recent study by the Work Institute, “data suggest[s] that turnover is declining faster than the employee experience is recovering,” with “dissatisfaction related to career progression, development opportunities, and manager capability” driving the impact across industries and job levels.
The cost of employee flight risk
Gallup estimates that the replacement of leaders and managers costs around 200% of their salary, the replacement of professionals in technical roles is 80% of their salary, and frontline employees 40% of their salary. This includes losses associated with:
- Reduced productivity
- Recruitment efforts to replace them
- A reduction in the company’s collective skill base
And expenses associated with:
- Recruitment and onboarding
- Temporary labor
- Overtime for employees in the interim taking over the former worker’s duties
- Training new employees to close abrupt skills and labor gaps
But the true cost of an employee’s departure starts long before they walk out the door. Disengaged, flight-risk employees can drag down team morale—leaving behind ripple effects that impact productivity long after they’re gone.
The signs of employee flight risk
Here are a few clear signs that an employee might be at risk of leaving.
- Bare minimum performance
Often associated with "quiet quitting" behaviors, a previously engaged employee may begin doing only what's required of their role. They continue meeting expectations but become less proactive, less invested, and less likely to take on new challenges or contribute beyond their core responsibilities. - Decreased productivity
Work output slows, motivation dips, and day-to-day tasks feel more like a chore than a contribution. - Increased absenteeism
An employee might start taking more personal days, regularly calling in sick, or simply not showing up. - Decreased quality of work
Missed deadlines, careless mistakes, or a noticeable lack of attention to detail can indicate that an employee is mentally checked out. - Diminished engagement
They stop speaking up, contributing ideas or participating in meetings—becoming quieter, more withdrawn or disconnected from the team culture.
It’s important to keep in mind that these signs may be expressed differently in different employees, or not at all. For example, one employee might be less productive than their peer, but this does not necessarily make them a flight risk.
Conversely, a top-performer might feel unsupported and quietly consider leaving. That’s why it’s essential to work closely with people managers to create space for honest conversations and gather real feedback about how employees are feeling day to day.
Why employee development is one of your strongest tools for reducing flight risk
One of the main factors driving employee flight risk is compensation. Financial stability is a major concern among employees, and many won’t think twice about leaving if a higher paycheck is on the table.
Your business might not be able to compete when it comes to pay. The reality is that there will always likely be other companies with higher budgets that can offer more. What sets your organization apart is what you offer beyond the paycheck. Career growth, skill-building and meaningful employee development opportunities can be just as powerful—if not more so—when it comes to retaining talent.
Here’s what a strong learning and development program can do for your workforce:
Provide career advancement opportunities
Research from the Work Institute identified a lack of career development as a top reason given by flight-risk employees for their departure. LinkedIn's 2025 Workplace Learning Report also found that career progress is employees' number one motivation to learn, highlighting the important role development opportunities play in employee retention.
Career development can have a life-changing impact on employees, supporting greater career mobility, financial stability, and a stronger sense of purpose.
Giving your employees career development opportunities, whether it’s skill development or access to degree programs, can help them feel supported and better engaged at work. It also strengthens internal talent development by helping employees build the skills needed for future roles within your organization.
Close skill gaps
In a State of Skills report, 30% percent of workers reported feeling anxious that their current skill sets would become irrelevant in the next eight years. Almost half are prepared to leave their current roles if they’re not given the opportunity to reskill or upskill.
Development programs that provide upskilling opportunities can help calm those fears and mitigate flight risk. Upskilling gives employees the chance to learn new skills that they can apply to their current roles or even move up into more advanced positions, creating a stronger internal talent pipeline while preparing employees for future business needs.
Boost engagement and loyalty
Companies that consistently invest in their employee’s development promote engagement and loyalty.
When employees feel that their employer values their growth, their morale, productivity, satisfaction improve, and they’re more likely to want to stay and grow with the organization. Development opportunities are most effective when employees understand how they connect to career growth and future opportunities within the organization.
Employee development helps reduce employee flight risk
The most sustainable solution to flight risk is to invest in employee growth and development.
Accessible, equitable skill-building and career development opportunities have a direct impact on mitigating employee flight risk. But it’s important to make sure that your organization offers development opportunities that help employees build relevant skills, pursue, career growth, and prepare for the future.
This means taking a personalized approach to employee development that supports both individual career growth and your organization’s workforce priorities.
Go behind-the-scenes of what employees really want from Learning and Development: Download our Talent Priorities Report to see how employees feel about upskilling, career development, and employer investment in employee growth.
