In our latest Insights series, parts one and two explored why retention efforts often fall short and how the human experience shapes whether people stay or go. In this final part, we focus on more of what’s working; the practical actions that are already improving retention across the sector. 

Despite the challenges, one message came through clearly in our work with over 40 social care organisations: Retention improves when providers focus on people, not processes. 

The Providers Getting It Right: What They Do Differently 

Across our research, the organisations making real progress share five behaviours that consistently strengthen retention. 

1. They learn from stayers, not just leavers 

High‑performing providers look at what keeps people, not only what drives them away. They study their longest‑serving colleagues, their happiest teams, and their high performing managers to understand what’s working. This strengths‑based approach helps them replicate success rather than simply react to problems. 

2. They treat onboarding as the first retention moment

Most turnover happens in the first 90 days. Providers who reduce early leavers invest in values‑based inductions, structured check‑ins, buddy systems, and honest job previews. They make sure new starters feel welcomed, supported, and connected from day one and it shows in their early retention rates. 

3. They build trust‑centred cultures 

Pay matters, but culture keeps people. The organisations improving retention are the ones who close feedback loops, make leaders visible, recognise values‑based behaviours, and support managers to lead consistently. They address issues early and create environments where staff feel safe, respected, and heard. 

4. They use data to understand patterns, not just report numbers 

These providers don’t just track turnover – they interpret it. They look at patterns across roles, locations, managers, recruitment sources, and stages of the employee journey. This helps them spot risk early and intervene before issues escalate. 

5. They collaborate and share learning 

The strongest retention strategies are built collectively. Providers told us they value peer learning, benchmarking, and co‑creation. Through shared insight, they move faster and avoid working in isolation. 

Cohesion’s Role: Predictive Retention, Co‑Creation, and Workforce Strategy 

Cohesion is committed to helping providers shift from reactive to proactive retention action through a combination of insight, analytics, and collaborative learning. 

1. High‑quality exit and stay interviews 

With engagement rates above 70%, our new starter, stay and exit interviews holistically provide a clear picture of why people leave and why they stay. We theme the insight, connect it to workforce patterns, and highlight where early intervention will have the biggest impact. 

2. Predictive retention analytics

By analysing patterns across job roles, locations, managers, recruitment sources, engagement, and absence, we help providers identify high‑risk teams and stages of the employee journey. This allows them to act before turnover happens. 

Our developed interview questions and scoring matrix built by retention and occupational psychology experts is giving predictive insight ahead of exit.

3. Co‑creation sessions 

We bring providers together, our “retention club”, to share ideas and build solutions collaboratively. These sessions focus on the six themes shaping retention: pay, flexibility, onboarding, communication, development, and culture – and help organisations move forward collectively. 

4. Turning insight into action 

We support organisations to translate insight into practical change through retention plans, onboarding redesign, leadership development, communication frameworks, and culture diagnostics. This is where insight becomes impact.

Across this series, we’ve shown that turnover is not a fixed reality. It’s a pattern that can be understood and changed. 

Retention improves when organisations: 

– Act transparently 
– Support managers 
– Build meaningful development pathways 
– Use data intelligently 
– Create cultures where people feel valued 

At Cohesion, we’re proud to help providers move from firefighting to foresight. Retention isn’t about stopping people from leaving it’s about giving them reasons to stay. 

If you’d like support turning these insights into meaningful, measurable change, we’d love to welcome you to the discussion. Whether you’re looking to strengthen onboarding, understand and compare your turnover patterns, or build a culture people want to stay in, our team is here to help you take the next step. 

Get in touch to start a conversation about improving retention in your organisation.