Engaging and Retaining High Performers in an Economic Downturn

Engaging and retaining high performers is always a smart business practice, but this proves true especially during an economic downturn. Organizations should strive to keep their top performers producing at a high level for them and not their competitors. Doing so means understanding what drives high performers’ engagement and retention. In this installment of the Managing Through Turbulent Times whitepaper series, the Kenexa Research Institute (KRI) identifies key drivers of engagement and retention among high performers, examines the effects of an economic downturn on those drivers and provides basic steps for enhancing employee engagement and reducing turnover intentions.

Engagement and Retention of High Performers

The Kenexa Research Institute has demonstrated that employee engagement is related to positive organizational outcomes in a number of areas such as employee retention, service quality, and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Identifying and acting upon key drivers of engagement can have a positive influence on employee behaviors and subsequently on an organization’s bottom-line. The Kenexa Research Institute utilized the WorkTrends™ database to explore what organizations can do to engage and retain their high performers.