Staff turnover isn’t just a HR issue. It’s an IT nightmare, especially for businesses with less resource and budget. 

In a recent article, ITPro cited a study by the Global Payroll Association (GPA), which found that as many as 30% of UK workers are looking to leave their jobs this year. Further research from Robert Walters found that this could be as high as 76%. In addition to this, 32% of businesses are also set to reduce their headcount, including through redundancies. 

But despite all this, many businesses could be in for a nasty surprise, since only 49% of businesses anticipate an increase in staff turnover. This is concerning, especially for IT teams, many of whom will not be prepared for an exodus of staff and the corresponding influx of returned devices. 

Why should IT teams worry about staff turnover? 

Every time an employee leaves your business, there’s a lot that needs to be done. 

Devices need to be retrieved from leaving end users, which is a lot harder than it seems when employees are working hybrid or remotely, spread across the country. These then need to be refreshed which involves secure wiping of data, any necessary repairs, reimaging and redeploying. That’s without worrying about the storage of devices awaiting triage or shipping. 

This can be a drain to IT teams, especially those with less resource. You end up with devices piling up on your desk, awaiting their refresh, and a growing mountain of admin. You end up torn away from other, more critical tasks, and are forced to deal with devices every day. This is unsustainable – it’s a waste of your time, and often, a strain on your patience too.  

Many smaller IT teams cope with this by disposing of a device entirely when a staff member leaves and purchasing new every time someone starts. This does recover efficiency, but it isn’t sustainable either. You end up burning through your already limited budget on needless devices, leading to more stress. There’s also the security and environmental concerns associated with device disposal – how do you make sure you’re keeping your data safe, and protecting the planet? 

These issues are set to increase considerably in 2025, on account of such high staff turnover – and consequently there will be more pressure to deal with your devices quickly and safely.  

It might feel like drowning in admin, or buying new devices, are your only options – but there is another way. 

Outsourcing  

Outsourcing is the key to recovering lost efficiencies and wasted budget, especially for SMEs.  

A reliable IT service can help you prepare for amplified turnover rates by alleviating the burden of device management and IT admin from your team, helping you focus on more important initiatives.  

For example, our Device Lifecycle Management Service can take over the key, most stress-inducing elements of the device lifecycle, such as: 

• Collecting devices directly from end users 
• Refreshing and redeploying devices to new and existing users 
• Storing and centralising devices free of charge in a secure Logistics Centre 
• Offering detailed asset tracking so you know where your devices are at all times 

Services like ours can help you save time, but they can also help you save budget by eliminating the need for new devices. This can be a great relief to already strained IT teams in a period of increased stress and responsibility.  

Find out how much time and budget you could recover with our free savings calculator or get in touch here.