Contagious quitting? New USF-led study links peer behavior to employee turnover

TAMPA, Fla. (April 9, 2025) – A new study led by the University of South Florida and the University of Cincinnati sheds light on the powerful impact of workplace cohorts on newcomer retention. The findings provide critical insights for organizations seeking to reduce employee turnover and improve stability among their teams.

Cohorts, groups of new employees that join an organization at the same time and are usually trained together, are common in the military and in professional services such as law, accounting and consulting firms. It’s also a frequent hiring practice among Fortune 500 companies, such as Amazon and Walmart.

“Our findings highlight the need for strategic cohort management to improve retention,” said Amit Chauradia, an assistant professor in the USF Muma College of Business and the study’s principal investigator. “If companies listen to employee location preferences during the hiring process and foster a positive cohort experience, it’s likely they can reduce turnover risks.”

The study, published online this month in the Journal of General Management, analyzed survey data from about 650 new employees from 32 cohorts at a global IT services firm. The surveys revealed that when some members in the cohort engage in job-seeking behaviors, a newcomer is more likely to do the same and ultimately leave the organization. The effect is only mitigated if the newcomer has a strong preference for the organization’s geographic location.

Chauradia and co-author Daniel Peat, an assistant professor in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, are human capital scholars, which means they focus on knowledge, skills and abilities that create value for both individuals and organizations.

“At the core of our approach is the belief that people are the most important asset in any organization,” Peat said. “Previous research on this topic mostly focused on collective turnover and organizational issues. Our research is some of the first of its kind to emphasize the importance of the contagion effect within cohorts.”

The study builds on existing theories of job embeddedness and turnover contagion, illustrating how social connections within cohorts can either anchor employees to an organization or accelerate their departure. It also challenges organizations to rethink how they manage cohorts, which is especially important when managing Gen Z, who make up more than a quarter of the global workforce and 65% of whom leave their jobs within the first year.

“This provides a fresh perspective on how peer behavior within cohorts drives retention patterns and offers organizations new ways to build a more stable, committed workforce,” Chauradia said.

For corporate leaders and HR professionals, these findings offer new strategies and underscore the importance of managing cohorts as social groups rather than just collections of individuals. By prioritizing geographic preferences during the hiring process and fostering positive cohort dynamics, companies can create an environment where newcomers feel embedded and are more likely to stay long-term.

Chauradia and Peat plan to continue their research by studying how organizations can effectively develop newcomers in a manner that encourages such talent to grow, perform and stay within the organization.

This study was done in collaboration with Koustab Ghosh, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Management Rohtak in Haryana, India.

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About the University of South Florida

The University of South Florida, a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. Across campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health, USF serves approximately 50,000 students who represent nearly 150 different countries. U.S. News & World Report has ranked USF as one of the nation’s top 50 public universities for six consecutive years and, for the second straight year, as the best value university in Florida. In 2023, USF became the first public university in Florida in nearly 40 years to be invited to join the Association of American Universities, a group of the leading 3% of universities in the United States and Canada. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and a ranking as a top 20 public university for producing new U.S. patents, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.