ROI

The true cost of talent loss is almost always underestimated by companies.

Several studies estimate the financial cost of an employee’s departure at around 150% of their gross annual salary—not including indirect costs and collateral impacts.

The cost of disengagement—quiet quitting—is even harder to quantify. But it is undoubtedly real.

These costs are significantly higher when departures happen during critical phases of transformation or growth, as they lead to a loss of efficiency and performance precisely when the organization can least afford it.

Talent and leadership development programs are often seen as expensive. Their ROI is sometimes questioned, especially when considering that high-potential employees are regularly approached by competitors and may leave.

Talent reviews, on the other hand, are usually time-consuming—so much so that they are sometimes only conducted for specific populations (often from a certain level of seniority) or are not updated annually.

Should we abandon these key pillars of a talent strategy? Certainly not.

But why not use the sense of urgency created by each transformation as an opportunity to reinforce the talent strategy in a meaningful way?

When transformation programs include a human-focused component (which is not always the case), the budget allocated to this aspect is often negligible, especially compared to the financial stakes of the transformation—or the fees paid to consultants for process and organizational redesign.

Yet, some targeted, low-cost initiatives can make a real difference:

• Coaching the project team leading the transformation. What plays out within this team often mirrors what will unfold more broadly across the organization (systemic reflection).

• Ensuring that the top 20% of key talents, including silent talents, in the scope of the transformation are clearly identified and personally known by both the project team and leadership.

• Offering co-development sessions specifically focused on transformation topics to managers responsible for on-the-ground implementation.

• Providing individual coaching support to leaders or key talents who may be at risk during the transformation process.

  
  

When talent strategy is considered a key success factor in a transformation, it can significantly increase the ROI of the initiative.