By Rebecca Aldridge

Staff turnover at Virginia Commonwealth University has continued to decrease, with the rate falling from 15.44% in fiscal year 2023 to 12.87% in fiscal 2024. The decline represents a drop of more than 16% year over year.

"When total staff turnover decreases, it allows for more focus on strategic priorities and less time spent on hiring and training new colleagues," said Alison Miller, VCU's chief human resources officer.

Decreased turnover is attributed to a number of factors, including improved and sustained staff satisfaction across surveys by VCU Human Resources. In the most recent two-minute survey from May 2024, 80% of staff reported a sense of belonging within their main business units, and 68% reported a sense of appreciation for their contributions and support for career development. In addition, the employer Net Promoter Score - a measure of overall satisfaction among VCU staff - rose to 10.48 from 8.00 in December 2023.

Survey results are shared with main business unit leaders and HR professionals to develop actionable steps that meet VCU employees' needs and support the university's goals for employee engagement and retention.

The decrease in turnover has also been bolstered by providing resources to create and sustain a culture of care and appreciation, Miller said.

"The culture of care and appreciation refers to how we treat each other - we are all seen, heard and valued as fellow human beings who work together for the success of VCU students, patients, faculty and staff," she said. "That culture is something that all staff and managers can participate in, and that we sustain through our actions and behaviors."

Quest 2028, which outlines VCU's strategic plan and goals, provides direction and alignment on the culture of care and appreciation, which was the focus of April's manager town hall. During the session, managers provided input on what they already do to sustain that culture in their teams and what they envision for the future. Feedback from managers has resulted in updates to HR's recruitment and hiring guidance, to ensure that the culture is reflected throughout HR practices and resources.

HR recently published a web page of culture of care and appreciation resources, where staff can view updates as this work progresses.

"This continued decrease in turnover aligns with national trends of a settling post-pandemic job market," Miller said. "VCU HR will continue to identify and support schools and units with higher-than-average turnover, so that all university initiatives can progress with a stable workforce to support them."

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