Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s Phil Willburn and HRManifesto¡¯s Leigh Henderson discuss the latest data, which reveals a "triple threat" to talent: High-performer exits, stalled internal growth, and an AI trust deficit. Discover what leaders can do to combat these challenges.
Emily Faracca
Multimedia Content Writer
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Audio also available on and .
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The headlines about the state of the global workforce often feel like a dizzying, on-again, off-again relationship.
As a result, leaders are constantly watching external indicators. But what if the true talent crisis is not driven by an external force, but rather, a threat lurking within their own four walls?
This internal crisis was the focus of a recent conversation between , vice president of people analytics, consulting & community at Â鶹´«Ã½, and , CEO and Founder of .
Drawing on proprietary data from Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s , the two presented a clear assessment: organizations are struggling under a "triple threat" to talent retention.
This threat is defined by the concurrent rise of high-performer attrition, the stalling of internal career growth, and the erosion of employee trust due to unclear communication around AI.
The conversation that followed went beyond the numbers, exploring the strategic, human-centric actions leaders must take to win in the future of work.
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Henderson, leveraging her deep expertise and constant dialogue with an engaged online following through her podcast and social channels, noted that one of the primary trends she sees is a profound mismatch between what employers offer, and what employees truly need and want from their work experience.
Employees are actively demanding more than just a paycheck. They want flexibility, trust, and clear communication from their leadership, viewing themselves as a necessary partner in the employee experience and organizational strategy.
This demand for partnership is directly tied to another significant shift: a visible lack of desire to climb the traditional corporate ladder.
For the first time in her career, Henderson observed people "shying away from leadership positions," indicating that the old model of advancement is being rejected in favor of employers getting creative with alternative growth opportunities.
This collective search for meaning, connection, and purposeful growth among employees reveals why the risks outlined in the report are so detrimental to organizational success.
For the first time in her career, Henderson observed people "shying away from leadership positions," indicating that the old model of advancement is being rejected in favor of employers getting creative with alternative growth opportunities.
The most alarming finding from the report is that the exodus of top talent has become universal.
Last year, the phenomenon of high-performing employees leaving at an accelerated rate was confined to three out of four industries tracked. This year, Willburn confirmed, it is impacting every single industry.
The rate of change is staggering: high-performer attrition jumped by 64% in retail and 28% in healthcare year-over-year.
For leaders, it is a clear sign that the traditional "social contract" between the employer and the highest achievers is fundamentally broken. High performers are not merely looking for a higher salary; they are driven by a need for impact, growth, and recognition.
When a high performer leaves, the cost ripples across the enterprise far beyond the expense of recruiting a replacement. It takes an immediate toll on:
As Willburn and Henderson discussed, the challenge is not just to hire new people, but to strategically reinvest in the talent that is already proven to drive results.
The key to reversing this quiet exodus lies in addressing the primary reason these top employees feel they must leave: the lack of clear, compelling pathways for growth.
The second element of the talent threat is the "growth plateau." The report¡¯s data reveals a clear downward trend in internal advancement: promotions are down in 10 of 11 industries, and internal hiring has slipped by 8%.
For generations, the corporate ladder¡ªwhere the only path up was through management¡ªwas the accepted model for career development. Today, that model is obsolete.
To solve this, organizations must strategically redefine what "growth" means. It must move away from the rigid, vertical promotion path and adopt a dynamic skills-based architecture where mobility is the new currency.
For generations, the corporate ladder¡ªwhere the only path up was through management¡ªwas the accepted model for career development. Today, that model is obsolete.
The final, and perhaps most subtle, threat uncovered by the report is the AI Trust Gap.
Despite the massive investment in generative AI and other transformative technologies, nearly half (44%) of employee comments that mention AI and company strategy carry a negative, anxious, or skeptical tone.
This is a failure of communication, not technology. As Henderson noted, "in the absence of information, people will fill in the most negative narrative."
For AI, that narrative is inevitably one of job displacement. This trust deficit creates friction, slows down adoption, and ultimately impedes the very digital transformation leaders are attempting to achieve.
The discussion concluded that a successful AI strategy must be fundamentally a human-centric cultural strategy. Leaders must actively move the conversation away from replacement and towards augmentation and enablement.
The goal is to show employees, tangibly, how AI will automate their most mundane, time-consuming tasks to free them up for high-impact, strategic, and creative work¡ªthe kind of work that truly drives value.
As Henderson noted, "in the absence of information, people will fill in the most negative narrative." For AI, that narrative is inevitably one of job displacement.
The conversation between Willburn and Henderson reinforced that the challenges of the modern workforce are interconnected, symptoms of a broader need for leadership to shift its gaze from external competition to internal cultivation.
Henderson stressed that in the day-to-day work experience, it is the leader who determines the culture and the employee experience.
Equipping managers to handle a fluid, skills-based, and AI-augmented environment is the most critical strategic investment. This includes training them to communicate the AI strategy, manage a project-based workforce, and measure output differently.
The future of work belongs to the companies that recognize their greatest competitive advantage is not a new piece of technology or an external hire, but the growth and sustained commitment of the high-performing talent they already have.
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Top talent is at risk: 75% of industries currently show an increase in high-potential voluntary turnover. Understand the potential market impact and strategies to retain your strongest performers in .
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62% of leaders welcome AI, but only 55% of employees feel the same way. Closing this AI trust gap and ensuring that your organization is prepared for widespread AI implementation will prove decisive to your company's future success.