Halloween weekend at Trader Joe’s in Plano, Texas, turned out to be more of an adventure than I had expected.
At the wine station, Carlos asked my preference in wines. We spent a pleasant 15 minutes discussing Italian and California wines. He recommended some reasonably priced choices and asked for my feedback when I returned to the store.
At checkout, I encountered another gracious young man. I commented on his costume, and in return, I got a management 101 pep talk from the young clerk. “Yes, he said, our manager encourages us to dress up. He went on, “He’s the best manager I’ve ever had. This is a great job.”
Why I asked? His response, “Our manager talks to us, gives us feedback. He’s compassionate. He listens. This is a great job.”
“But is he ‘tough’ when he needs to be?” I asked?
“Yes, but he respects us. He’s fair.” Two other clerks, standing nearby, chimed in with similar praise for this manager.
By now, I wanted to meet this paragon of a manager. I went over to the front desk and sought him out. When I gave him the feedback I’d gotten, he turned red. “They make my job easy,” he said.
I left in great spirits. There are several grocery stores I shop in, some pricier, but none with the quality of service I experience at Trader Joe’s. In some of the work I do, coaching managers on how to be more effective leaders, I’ve never experienced an employee, either front line or in management themselves, coming to me with such high praise for their manager.
I usually hear about the ineptness or uncaring that their manager exhibits. Which eventually leads to turnover, a huge and costly problem.
Gallup’s latest turnover findings as of August 2026 claim that 53% of U.S. employees are watching for or actively seeking a new job. In the nonprofit world, 71% say they are looking for or will search for another job within a year. 69% of the workforce cite pay or benefits as reasons they look for better positions. 53% are dissatisfied with their current job, identifying management as one of the key problems.
For a front-line employee, turnover can cost an organization up to 40% of an employee’s annual salary, and for technical professionals that goes up to 80% of their annual salary There is interviewing time, onboarding, training, introducing them to the company culture and in nonprofits disruption to donor relationships and programs and the nonprofits reputation. The list goes on.
An additional Gallup study of 717 voluntary leavers found that 42% believed their manager or organization could have prevented their departure. 45% said no one in management proactively discussed their satisfaction, performance or future during their final three months. No one reached out to ask what would make staying worthwhile to them, what was frustrating them and what needed to change so they would consider staying!
The bottom line is that employees want better pay, more opportunities to grow, better management and a more manageable working life. All of which management can address before an employee resigns. A major challenge in nonprofits today is employee burnout, in part because of inequitable workloads and barely adequate compensation or benefits.
So, what can be done?
A manager’s strongest defense against avoidable turnover is to address problems before a good employee starts looking elsewhere. He or she needs to ask questions and listen. Like the checkout clerk’s manager at Trader Joe’s, he or she needs to be fair, respectful and caring.
That takes regular conversations and visible follow-through. Ask, “What is one thing I could change that would make your work here better?” Resolve what you can and explain what you cannot.
Clarify priorities, remove unnecessary tasks, and address chronic understaffing. Offer coaching and growth and the training that is needed.
Realizing that pay raises may not be possible, address pay and flexibility honestly. And provide employees flexibility in work scheduling as the work permits. Showing people they matter goes a long way. Recognizing staff’s unique contributions and how their work impacts the organization, its brand and its mission is key.
But appreciation alone only goes so far. Asking for feedback and not following through on it makes things worse and can deepen distrust. It’s critical you agree on a couple of changes that can be made and follow through on these.
Take the management challenge, starting this week:
Meet with each of your employees and ask, “What is one thing I could change that would make your work here better?” Resolve what you can and explain what you cannot.
