The HR exodus: When the people responsible for retention head for the exits themselves
In what may come as a surprise to many CEOs who have come to see them as their right hand, HR — the department tasked with attracting and retaining talent — ranks fifth among professions struggling with retention itself.
According to fresh research from JobLeads, HR people in the U.K. exhibit one of the highest rates of job-hopping across all workers, with 21% leaving their jobs within 12 months. Only hospitality/food service (34%), arts/entertainment (26%), retail (25%) and publishing (21%) fare worse.
The irony is obvious — the people responsible for keeping others engaged are themselves heading for the exits.
The trend emerges amid widespread workplace dissatisfaction across the UK, where 9 in 10 employees report say they lack enthusiasm for their jobs. Searches for “how to write a resignation letter” have surged by 2,250% in just the past month, signaling a workforce preparing for mass transition.
The data points to a real professional crisis. With a median tenure of just 3.4 years and an average annual income of about $45,000, HR professionals appear caught in a paradox — advising on employee engagement strategies that clearly do not work when it comes to their own domain.
The contrast with more stable industries is stark. Legal services has the lowest turnover rate, at 17%, while public administration demonstrates a solid degree of stability with a median tenure of 6.2 years — nearly double that of HR.
Those findings raise critical questions: What pressures precisely are HR professionals facing? Why are those responsible for making sure employees are satisfied so unhappy themselves? What does all this reveal about workplace culture, when those charged with building and maintaining it are voting with their feet?
As Martin Schmidt, co-founder of JobLeads, puts it: “When your retention specialists can’t retain themselves, it signals a systemic problem that demands immediate attention.”
For business leaders, it represents both a challenge and an opportunity, the study suggests, reporting that companies winning the employee retention battle happen to be those that offer the most competitive pay, the most meaningful work and genuine growth opportunities.
For organizations aiming to retain their HR talent, creating an environment where HR can implement meaningful policies, get appropriate resources and feel valued beyond their administrative functions is elemental.
Otherwise, the very people charged with solving “The Great Resignation” may themselves lead the charge out the door.