Periods of organizational transformation—such as acquisitions, strategic pivots, and reorgs—create a paradox for leaders. While they’re focused on navigating big changes, employees often feel uncertain about their futures. Research from KPMG, for example, shows that attrition rates can double after an acquisition announcement. In industries facing cost pressures and shifting skill needs, this uncertainty doesn’t just impact morale—it directly threatens performance and puts the transformation at risk.

The stakes are high, as companies risk losing the very talent required for transformation while still needing to equip employees with future-ready skills. Traditional retention levers such as stay bonuses or financial incentives can provide temporary relief, but they’re expensive, hard to scale, and often fail to address employees’ deeper concerns: Do I have a place in the future organization? Do I have the skills needed to succeed?

Adopting development-centered strategies can help leaders build a more adaptable workforce. Integrating talent strategy into transformation efforts can reduce attrition, boost engagement, and prepare employees with the skills needed for the future. Here’s how HR and business leaders can achieve these outcomes.

Creating a Development-First Retention Strategy

Gallup reports that employees with access to development opportunities are 3.6 times more likely to be engaged. In times of disruption, clarity and growth opportunities can act as stabilizers. Employees want to know where they stand and how they can succeed in the “new” organization.

A development-first retention strategy must prioritize: equipping leaders to navigate change so employees receive consistent, credible signals; providing engaging development opportunities that employees see as relevant and attainable; and building systems of internal mobility that connect development to real business outcomes.

When these elements come together, the result isn’t just improved morale but measurable business impact. At Frontier Communications, we faced this challenge last September when Verizon announced that it was planning to acquire our company. We had to wait for the necessary approvals, which we knew would take more than a year. To keep employees engaged during this time, we accelerated an already underway initiative called Frontier Forward: a structured, company-wide program focused on upskilling, internal mobility, and engagement. The goal was to integrate development into the employee experience at every level, ensuring the program drove both business performance and retention—even amid the major changes that come with an acquisition.

To do it, we built our approach on four pillars:

1. Leadership development

Retention and engagement start with leaders. Employees take their cues from how managers and executives navigate uncertainty, which makes developing strong leaders a critical priority.

To keep expectations of and communications to employees consistent during this time of change, Frontier invested in development exercises for employees at multiple levels of leadership. Executives engaged in assessments, coaching, and a multi-day change summit; directors and managers completed development programs on change and trust; and Employee Impact Group leaders piloted flipped-classroom sessions, where participants completed coursework in advance and used in-person time for collaborative problem-solving.

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