![]() ![]() When staff members leave, aspects of organizational functioning that promote innovation and quality service provision (such as supportive co-worker relationships) become compromised, particularly when stress within the work environment is heightened ( Flynn & Simpson, 2009). Turnover also disrupts organizational efficiency ( Alexander, Bloom, & Nuchols, 1994) and can threaten the implementation and sustainability of new initiatives ( Glisson et al., 2008). Studies of nursing and other social service industries suggest that turnover causes financial strain on organizations while they recruit and train new employees because it costs more to hire and train than it does to train existing staff ( Shaw, Duffy, Johnson, & Lockhart, 2005). While the impact of turnover on service delivery is obvious, loss of staff can also have more subtle effects on the organization. In order for clinical service agencies to provide consistent and quality services, there must be some degree of staffing stability. While attrition in any organization is natural and sometimes healthy, workforce change can be particularly detrimental in social service organizations where personal growth and recovery is cultivated through relationships between clients and the individuals who deliver services – namely counselors, case managers, and social-workers. The problem appears to be pervasive, with instability sometimes spanning multiple years. Rates are generally high, ranging from 18.5% ( Knudsen, Johnson, & Roman, 2003) to 25% ( Gallon, Gabriel, & Knudsen, 2003) among counselors and 24% ( Knight, Broome, Edwards, & Flynn, 2011) to 54% ( McLellan et al., 2003) among program directors. ![]() Turnover among clinical staff has been cited as one of the most significant and challenging issues facing the substance abuse treatment field ( McLellan, Carise, & Kleber, 2003). Findings underscore the need to intentionally promote workplace communication and collaboration among staff following the departure of a coworker in order to reduce stress and minimize subsequent turnover among remaining clinical staff. Study results documented that counselors in high-turnover programs reported higher demands (job stress, inadequate staffing) and lower support (communication, collaboration) within their organization, even after controlling for other factors such as decreasing budgets, increasing census, and individual measures of workload. But how does it affect staff who remain employed at the agency? Researchers at the Institute of Behavioral Research at Texas Christian University sought to answer this question by examining the impact of staff turnover on perceptions of workplace demands and support among 353 clinical staff members from 63 outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. ![]() Turnover among clinical staff can have detrimental effects on service provision and organizational efficiency. ![]()
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