What is Involuntary Turnover?

In employment, turnover refers to any time a current employee leaves the company and is replaced by a new employee. Involuntary turnover is one type of turnover that occurs when an employee is terminated from a position. Employees may be let go for a wide range of reasons, including unsatisfactory job performance or inappropriate behavior, often called counterproductive work behavior (CWB).

Many of the issues that cause involuntary turnover can be minimized by administering pre-employment tests in the hiring process. For example, one of the main causes of involuntary turnover is that new employees do not digest and apply the training they are given in a satisfactory manner; aptitude and skills tests can predict learning ability and the likelihood that an applicant will successfully complete training.

Similarly, certain personality tests can be used to assess how likely an employee is to engage in counterproductive work behaviors that can negatively affect an organization. Some examples of counterproductive work behaviors include theft, tardiness, fraud, and time-wasting. Integrity tests can be administered to assess if an applicant is likely to be a productive, reliable, and conscientious employee who is less likely to engage in inappropriate behavior in the workplace.