In this episode, Rob Levin is joined by Chason Hecht, CEO and founder of Retensa, a global leader in employee retention strategies. With decades of data and experience behind him, Chason dives into what really drives retention—and spoiler alert—it starts way before someone quits.

From knowing why people join and stay, to the rising impact of remote work, and how culture, hiring, and feedback all play a role, this episode is packed with insights (and a few laughs) that every small and mid-sized business owner needs to hear.

Key Takeaway:

Retention isn’t just about keeping people—it’s about keeping the right people for your company’s culture and stage of growth. As Chason Hecht explains, most small and midsized businesses don’t have a retention problem—they have a hiring problem. When you align your hiring process with your company values, understand why employees join, stay, or leave, and create ongoing feedback loops, you build a foundation for long-term success. Especially in remote or hybrid environments, flexibility, recognition, and clear communication can be powerful (and often low-cost) retention tools that help high performers thrive and stay engaged.

Questions I ask Chason Hecht:

01:41 What is the significance and importance of retention in small and mid-sized business?

06:20 What's different on the retention side, and the importance of retention in that business?

08:20 Is all retention good, or is there some retention that's not so good?

10:43 What are some of the more common challenges in small and midsized businesses when it comes to retention?

13:55 How can companies mitigate challenges like hiring mistakes or trying to "act big" before they’re ready?

14:24 Retensa is known for taking a data-driven approach to predicting and preventing turnover. What does that look like?

15:37 Give us a couple of examples of the kinds of questions you ask employees to gather meaningful feedback.

16:59 After asking those questions, are you looking at aggregate results or individual responses?

19:16 How does remote work affect retention, and what do businesses need to keep in mind?

20:55 Some companies are going back to five days a week in-office. What are the risks, and what is “coffee badging”?

23:02 What’s your message to employers—especially those with remote or hybrid teams—about these shifts in work culture?

27:10 Any final suggestions for retaining top talent?

More About Chason:

Check out Retensa

Connect with Chason on LinkedIn.

More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow:

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Visit WorkBetterNow.com

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It’s Not Rocket Science: Insights from a Leading Employee Retention Expert