Why Stability and Growth Decide Who Stays and Who Thrives

HR professionals have identified the employee experience, or the sum of all interactions with an employer, as a key factor for turnover, retention, and engagement. Oftentimes, the employee experience is measured through the experience of HR professionals and organizational leaders. But what does it look like through the lens of workers themselves?

Understanding this viewpoint was the subject of "The Global Employee Experience: What's Shaping Attraction, Engagement, and Retention Worldwide" session at SHRM26 in Orlando, led by Ashley Miller, director of operations and partnerships at SHRM. A new quarterly pulse survey from SHRM, The Global Employee Monitor, provides the viewpoint, diving into the employee experience to understand impacts through the metrics of turnover, retention, and engagement.

The running thread in the latest pulse survey is employees crave stability and growth. For HR leaders, this can sound like a tall order. Economies both globally and locally are in flux, learning and development budgets are tight, and the talent market can be competitive depending on the kind of role organizations are looking to fill. To move forward, HR leaders need to understand the employee's side of the equation to better utilize managers to bridge gaps, help employees see themselves as contributors, and build future readiness into the employee experience.

Guide: What is Employee Experience?

The Employee Experience Ecosystem

The Global Employee Monitor demonstrates that employees weigh stability and growth when deciding whether to leave or stay at an organization. What do stability and growth look like? "The employee experience is not one thing,” Miller said. “It is this ecosystem, and the parts are connected, but they're not interchangeable." The connected parts are turnover, retention, and engagement. Each one shapes the others, and together they influence business agility, organizational health, and growth. Weakness in any one area carries a cost.

Turnover

Turnover rarely starts with a single event. “Turnover is usually the accumulation of friction,” Miller said. “Among workers who seriously considered quitting, dissatisfaction was dramatically more common across multiple of the factors evaluated in our research.” Dissatisfaction is frustration, and those frustrations add up over time. An unclear role, a missed opportunity, a manager who fails to recognize good work all compound until an employee seriously considers leaving. For HR leaders, the strategic takeaway is clear. Reducing turnover means identifying and removing friction before it accumulates into a resignation. 

Retention

What predicts retention? The Global Employee Monitor points to a powerful driver: workers who see themselves as contributors stay. When employees understand how their work matters and can picture a path forward, they are far more likely to remain.

This is also where a common assumption breaks down. Nearly nine in ten workers report they have actively worked to build their skills, and the data shows they are highly adaptable. Many believe those skills would be valued elsewhere and that they could take them elsewhere. This counters the narrative that employees are unprepared for what's ahead. Increasingly, workers are asking future-forward questions about where they fit and how they will grow.

The opening for HR leaders is to make learning visible and connect it directly to internal opportunities. Stretch assignments, rotation programs, and clearly mapped pathways signal that growth is possible without leaving. When organizations connect learning to contribution, they retain not just employees, but the skills those employees have worked to build. 

Engagement

Retention and engagement are not the same thing. As Miller noted, staying is not the same as thriving. An employee can remain on the payroll while contributing far below their potential. Engagement is ultimately about productivity — the difference between presence and performance.

Recognition plays an outsized role here. Workers who feel seen for their accomplishments bring more energy and discretionary effort to their work. Recognition does not require a large budget; it requires consistency and intention. For HR leaders, the strategic question shifts from "Are people staying?" to "Are people thriving?" The answer often determines whether an organization simply retains headcount or unlocks real output.

Webinar: The Global Employee Monitor: Understanding What Today’s Workforce Really Wants

Bring in the Managers

Across turnover, retention, and engagement, one role surfaces repeatedly: the manager. “We’ve deputized leaders who don’t work in our function to carry out these critical processes,” Miller said. “It's very important that we equip them to do it effectively." Managers shape whether friction accumulates, whether growth feels possible, and whether good work gets recognized. The strategic imperative is to train them effectively to recognize contribution, create growth conversations, and reduce friction before it costs the organization talent.

Building the Ecosystem

The employee experience is not a single program or perk. It is an ecosystem where turnover, retention, and engagement shape one another and, ultimately, the organization's agility and growth. The Global Employee Monitor offers HR leaders a clearer view of that ecosystem through the eyes of workers themselves. The path forward does not require sweeping reinvention. It starts with understanding what employees value, equipping managers to deliver it, and treating stability and growth not as competing demands, but as the foundation of a workforce ready for what comes next.