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How Costly Is Turnover? Evidence from Retail

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  • Peter Kuhn
  • Lizi Yu

Abstract

We estimate turnover costs in small retail sales teams using daily sales data and an advance notice requirement to address endogeneity concerns. In addition to short-staffing and onboarding costs, we identify two less familiar sources of turnover costs: incumbent workers’ recruitment activities and reductions in team morale after a departure is announced. Our estimates of total turnover costs are relatively modest, however: 10% higher turnover is about as costly as a 0.6% wage increase. We attribute these low costs to a set of complementary personnel policies that ensure that only 25% of departures result in a short-staffing spell.

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  • Peter Kuhn & Lizi Yu, 2021. "How Costly Is Turnover? Evidence from Retail," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(2), pages 461-496.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/710359
    DOI: 10.1086/710359
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    Cited by:

    1. Hoey, Sam & Peeters, Thomas & van Ours, Jan C., 2023. "The impact of absent co-workers on productivity in teams," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Guido Friebel & Matthias Heinz & Mitchell Hoffman & Nick Zubanov, 2023. "What Do Employee Referral Programs Do? Measuring the Direct and Overall Effects of a Management Practice," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(3), pages 633-686.
    3. Dan A. Black & Lars Skipper & Jeffrey A. Smith & Jeffrey Andrew Smith, 2023. "Firm Training," CESifo Working Paper Series 10268, CESifo.
    4. Zubanov, Nick & Shakina, Elena, 2023. "Performance Costs and Benefits of Collective Turnover: A Theory-Driven Measurement Framework and Applications," IZA Discussion Papers 16413, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Kai Fischer, 2023. "Skilled Labour Migration and Firm Performance: Evidence from English Hospitals and Brexit," CESifo Working Paper Series 10747, CESifo.
    6. Kuhn, Peter J. & Yu, Lizi, 2021. "Kinks as Goals: Accelerating Commissions and the Performance of Sales Teams," IZA Discussion Papers 14115, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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