Every HR professional and business leader in Trinidad and Tobago has felt it: the quiet drag of turnover. The resignation that comes just when a team starts running smoothly. The weeks it takes to find and train someone new. The extra hours others put in to cover the gap.

It is not only about people leaving. It is about how those gaps affect operations, morale, and even the client experience. The truth is, many of us are facing the same pressures: long commutes, limited talent pools, and budgets that must stretch further each year.

Instead of treating turnover as a problem to fix, it helps to understand where it starts and what can realistically make a difference.

What’s Really Driving Turnover in T&T

Time Lost in Traffic

An ECLAC study estimates that commuters in Trinidad and Tobago lose roughly 16 hours each week in traffic, or about 33 working days every year. Morning delays average close to an hour. When people spend that much time just getting to work, rigid start times and five-day on-site schedules quickly become a source of frustration and fatigue.

A Shifting Labour Market

The Ministry of Finance reported unemployment at 5.4 percent in early 2024, up from 4.1 percent at the end of 2023. The IMF also noted inflation easing to 0.3 percent. This tells us the labour market is softening overall, but certain skills remain in high demand. Pay adjustments should be guided by data, not assumptions.

Skills Migration

Regional studies show a steady outflow of experienced professionals, especially in health, engineering, and finance or tech-related fields. This drain makes it harder for employers to replace the people they lose and increases the importance of keeping senior staff engaged.

Step 1: Know Where It Hurts Most

Not every vacancy costs the same. Some roles quietly slow operations, while others cause real disruption.
A simple way to gauge this is to calculate the Cost of Vacancy (CoV):

CoV = (Daily output or revenue influenced) × (Average vacancy days)

The formula does not need to be perfect. It helps you see which positions create the biggest ripple when empty. Once ranked, focus leadership attention and retention spending on those top-tier roles first.
It is usually cheaper and more effective to protect a few critical positions than to apply blanket pay adjustments.

Step 2: Make the First Ninety Days Count

Most early exits can be prevented. They happen when new hires feel disconnected or unsure of expectations.
A simple structure helps:

• Before day one: Confirm start date, work location, system access, PPE, and a clear two-week task list so the employee begins with direction.
• Week one: Pair them with a buddy and check in by Friday.
• Weeks three and seven: Run short “stay interviews” to ask what is helping and what could be improved.
• By day seventy-five: Discuss next steps, development goals, and any needed support.

Progressive is developing a ninety-day onboarding kit with templates, checklists, and timelines to make this process easy to manage for both permanent staff and contractors.

Step 3: Loosen the Grip on the Clock

If employees spend 16 hours a week in traffic, flexibility is not a perk. It is a productivity tool.
Start small:

• Let teams begin between 7:00 and 9:30 a.m. while keeping shared core hours.
• Test a nine-day fortnight or planned anchor days for in-person work.

Track lateness, output, and resignation rates after three and six months. Keep what works and adjust what does not.

Step 4: Pay Attention to Pay Gaps

Compensation changes should be precise, not broad.
Look for pay compression, where new hires earn more than long-serving employees in the same role. This issue quietly damages morale and trust.

Progressive’s salary benchmarking and market mapping use live placement data and ad-response trends to show exactly where your pay is falling behind and where it is already competitive. This keeps retention spending focused where it has the greatest impact.

Step 5: Show People a Way Forward

Most employees do not leave because they dislike the company. They leave because they cannot see what comes next.
You do not need a corporate university to change that. You need clarity.

Define two-step ladders for each function, for example, Coordinator to Senior Coordinator to Specialist, and link each level to measurable deliverables and skills.

Encourage short internal projects that allow employees to spend 10 to 20 percent of their time solving problems outside their usual role. This builds confidence and keeps work interesting.

Support development with credential-light training, such as vendor certificates, local courses, or recognised professional badges that improve performance and are valued in the market.

A Three-Month Game Plan

Month 1

• Identify Tier A roles using the cost-of-vacancy formula.
• Schedule at least two stay interviews for each.
• Apply the ninety-day onboarding process to all new hires.
• Start one flex-time pilot in a high-traffic department and track results.

Month 2

• Fix three friction points revealed in stay interviews, such as tool access or overtime approvals.
• Make small, data-based pay corrections for Tier A roles.
• Publish career ladders for at least three departments so staff can see a path forward.

Month 3

• Review the flex-time pilot and scale only if performance stayed steady or improved.
• Build a simple retention dashboard that tracks:
  • 90-day new-hire success rate
  • Stay interview coverage for Tier A roles
  • Lateness and absence trends
  • Offer acceptance rates
  • Regretted-loss count
  • Internal promotions per 50 employees

This approach creates a rhythm that is measurable, repeatable, and specific to the realities of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Bottom Line

Retention does not rely on sweeping changes. It is built on consistent habits that make people feel supported, trusted, and clear about their future.

For companies in Trinidad and Tobago, the biggest wins often come from being practical: focus on high-impact roles, strengthen the first ninety days, offer flexible scheduling, address pay gaps, and make career growth visible.

Progressive and JobsTT help employers put these ideas into action with real market data, salary benchmarking, and structured onboarding support that keeps great people right where they belong.