Logistics
Managers
Logistics Company Reduces Turnover Through Manager Behavior Standards
Representative example of connecting frontline retention to leadership consistency
The situation
- A logistics company with multiple distribution centers faced persistent frontline employee turnover
- Exit interviews consistently cited 'my manager' as a primary reason for departure
- Manager effectiveness varied dramatically with no systematic approach to development
What broke
Why training alone wasn't enough:
- Operations managers promoted for technical competence without leadership preparation
- Frontline employees experienced inconsistent treatment based on shift assignment
- New hire onboarding quality depended entirely on individual manager investment
- HR interventions addressed symptoms without changing underlying manager behaviors
- Turnover costs accumulated while root causes remained unaddressed
What we installed
The infrastructure that created lasting change:
- Operations manager behavioral standards with observable indicators
- Structured team communication rhythms replacing ad hoc interactions
- New hire experience standards with manager accountability checkpoints
- Skip-level feedback system providing early warning on manager issues
- Peer coaching partnerships between operations managers across facilities
Reinforcement cadence
How we made behaviors stick:
- Daily micro-focus on one specific team interaction behavior
- Weekly facility leadership huddles with accountability discussion
- Monthly skill development sessions on retention-driving behaviors
- Quarterly cross-facility gatherings for managers to share approaches
Early wins
Typical progress indicators at each milestone
30 Days
- Early indicators: behavioral standards communicated and acknowledged
- Daily rhythms established with visible manager commitment
60 Days
- Typical outcomes: new hire experience showing improvement in consistency
- Peer coaching partnerships engaged and providing mutual support
90 Days
- Representative results: early indicators of turnover rate stabilization
- Skip-level feedback showing improved employee sentiment toward management
What we learned
- People leave managers, not companies-and manager behavior is coachable.
- Daily reinforcement creates habit; monthly training creates forgetting.
- The skip-level system provided visibility that manager self-reporting never could.
The guiding shift
- Less fixing, more guiding
- Less control, more clarity
- More ownership from teams
This example represents typical outcomes from similar engagements. Your results will depend on your organization's context, commitment, and willingness to install and maintain leadership infrastructure.
Could this work for you?
Let's discuss what realistic outcomes might look like for your specific situation.