Skip to main content
Log in

On Turnover in Human Services

  • Discussion and Review Paper
  • Published:
Behavior Analysis in Practice Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Within the field of behavior analysis, turnover can impact an organization adversely due to the loss of expertise and the required replacement expenses. Turnover in behavior analysis remains poorly understood, and few investigations have studied why employees separate and how to mitigate unwanted turnover. The purpose of this discussion article is to provide an account of turnover, as well as to make recommendations to behavior-analytic service providers regarding how to perform analyses and intervene to decrease employee turnover.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The term rate, used here, originates from the human resources literature describing turnover over time and is expressed as a percentage. As used in this context, the term rate does not necessarily construe a behavior-analytic definition.

References

  • Aarons, G. A., Sommerfeld, D. H., Hecht, D. B., Silovsky, J. F., & Chaffin, M. J. (2009). The impact of evidence-based practice implementation and fidelity monitoring on staff turnover: Evidence for a protective effect. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 270–280. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013223.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, D. G., Weeks, K. P., & Moffitt, K. R. (2005). Turnover intentions and voluntary turnover: The moderating roles of self-monitoring, locus of control, proactive personality, and risk aversion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 980–990. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.5.980.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels, A. C., & Bailey, J. S. (2014). Performance management: Changing behavior that drives organizational effectiveness (5th ed.). Atlanta, GA: Performance Management Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty, T. W., Bluedorn, A. C., & Keon, T. L. (1985). Precursors of employee turnover: A multiple sample causal analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 6, 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030060404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flint, A., & Webster, J. (2013). Exit interviews to reduce turnover amongst healthcare professionals [Review]. Cochrane Systematic Reviews, 28, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006620.pub3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, K. C. (2010). Mentor program boosts new nurses’ satisfaction and lowers turnover rate. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 7, 311–316. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20100401-04.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frederiksen, L. W., & Riley, A. W. (Eds.). (1984). Improving staff effectiveness in human service settings: Organizational behavior management approaches. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gravina, N., Villacorta, J., Albert, K., Clark, R., Curry, S., & Wilder, D. A. (2018). A literature review of organizational behavior management interventions in human service settings from 1990 to 2016. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 38, 191–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01608061.2018.1454872.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, D. H. (2000). The benefits of exit interviews. Information Systems Management, 17, 17–20. https://doi.org/10.1201/1078/43192.17.3.20000601/31236.3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, L. J., O’Brien-Pallas, L., Duffield, C., Shamian, J., Buchan, J., Hughes, F., et al. (2006). Nurse turnover: A literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 43, 237–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2005.02.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heavey, A. L., Holwerda, J. A., & Hausknecht, J. P. (2013). Causes and consequences of collective turnover: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98, 412–453. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt, A., & Larson, S. (2007). The direct support workforce in community supports to individuals with developmental disabilities: Issues, implications, and promising practices. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 13, 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrdd.20151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurt, A. A., Grist, C. L., Malesky Jr., L. A., & McCord, D. M. (2013). Personality traits associated with occupational “burnout” in ABA therapists. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 26, 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12043.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kazemi, E., Shapiro, M., & Kavner, A. (2015). Predictors of intention to turnover in behavior technicians working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 17, 106–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kupperschmidt, B. R. (2002). Unlicensed assistive personnel retention and realistic job previews. Nursing Economics, 20, 279–283.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, S. A., Tolbize, M. S. A., Kim, O., & York, B. (2016). Direct support professional turnover costs in small group homes: A case study. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research and Training Center on Community Living.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maertz Jr., C. P., Griffeth, R. W., Campbell, N. S., & Allen, D. G. (2007). The effects of perceived organizational support and perceived supervisor support on employee turnover. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 1059–1075. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M., & Zatzick, C. D. (2015). Skill underutilization and collective turnover in a professional service firm. Journal of Management Development, 7, 787–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, T. R., Burch, T. C., & Lee, T. W. (2014). The need to consider time, level, and trends: A turnover perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 296–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mottet, L. M. (2006). Nurse mentor magic: Training for nurses. Dubuque, IA: Simon & Kolz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb, E. T., Camblin, J. G., Jones, F. D., & Wine, B. (2019). On the implementation of a gamified professional development system for direct care staff. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01608061.2019.1632243.

  • Pace, V. L., & Kisamore, J. L. (2017). Strategic exit interviewing: Encouraging voice, enhancing alignment and examining process. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 4, 59–75. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-03-2016-0023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peltokorpi, V., Allen, D. G., & Froese, F. (2015). Organizational embeddedness, turnover intentions, and voluntary turnover: The moderating effects of employee demographic characteristics and value orientations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36, 292–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1981.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plantiveau, C., Dounavi, K., & Virues-Ortega, J. (2018). High levels of burnout among early-career board-certified behavior analysts with low collegial support in the work environment. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 19, 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2018.1438339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Premack, S. L., & Wanous, J. P. (1985). A meta-analysis of realistic job preview experiments. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70, 706–719. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.70.4.706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein, A. L., Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., Wang, M., & Thundiyil, T. G. (2018). “Embedded” at hire? Predicting the voluntary and involuntary turnover of new employees. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40, 342–359. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Society for Human Resource Management. (2015). How to determine turnover rate. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/determineturnoverrate.aspx

  • Strolin-Goltzman, J., Lawrence, C., Auerbach, C., Caringi, J., Claiborne, N., Lawson, H., et al. (2009). Design teams: A promising organizational intervention for improving turnover rates in the child welfare workforce. Child Welfare, 88, 149–168.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strouse, M. C., Carroll-Hernandez, T. A., Sherman, J. A., & Sheldon, J. B. (2004). Turning over turnover: The evaluation of a staff scheduling system in a community-based program for adults with developmental disabilities. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 23, 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1300/J075v23n0204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulek, R., Trembath, D., Paynter, J., Keen, D., & Simpson, K. (2017). Inconsistent staffing and its impact on service delivery in ASD early-intervention. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 63, 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.02.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, D. J., Davis, R. V., England, G. W., & Lofquist, L. H. (1967). Manual for the Minneapolis satisfaction questionnaire. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Industrial Relations Center.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Byron Wine.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Byron Wine has no conflict of interest. Matthew R. Osborne has no conflict of interest. Eli T. Newcomb has no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wine, B., Osborne, M.R. & Newcomb, E.T. On Turnover in Human Services. Behav Analysis Practice 13, 492–501 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00399-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00399-6

Keywords

Navigation