In this episode of Disruption Interruption, retention expert Joey Coleman joins host Karla Jo Helms to expose the trillion-dollar cost of employee turnover. Coleman reveals why the first 100 days are critical for retention and challenges leaders to shift focus from compliance to cultivating remarkable workplace cultures.

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to research from Harvard Business Review, 20% of new hires leave within the first 45 days, and about a third depart within the first 90 days. This turnover disrupts team dynamics and increases recruitment costs, which can range from 50% to 200% of the departing employee's annual salary. To tackle this trillion-dollar issue, Joey Coleman, expert in experience design and retention strategy, joins host Karla Jo Helms on the latest episode of the Disruption Interruption podcast. They discuss why businesses bleed talent and how to stop the bleeding by focusing on the "First 100 Days." Coleman argues that in a post-COVID world, companies must radically rethink their onboarding to turn new hires into lifelong loyalists.

As Coleman notes, "There is no one who wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, 'My primary job when I get to work today is to make sure that this is the best place that any of these people have ever worked.'"

The High Cost of the "Compliance" Mindset

The episode delves into the staggering reality of modern employment, where a lack of structured onboarding leads to massive attrition. Coleman points out that globally, 4% of new hires quit after just one day, and by the one-year mark, 40% have left. This revolving door is often due to a fundamental shift in how organizations view Human Resources—prioritizing legal safety over employee experience.

"For the last 50 years or so, the focus of HR has shifted from culture to compliance," explains Coleman. "Instead of a role that is focused on culture, we want them documenting procedures and managing benefits. We want them making sure that everything is set up for litigation prevention."

Coleman highlights a critical leadership void resulting from this shift: "In most organizations, there is no one who wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, 'My primary job when I get to work today is to make sure that this is the best place that any of these people have ever worked.'"

Designing the First 100 Days

Coleman posits that the solution lies in intentionality during the first 100 days of employment. He advocates for a proactive approach where leaders understand the eight phases of the employee journey and constantly recruit to "build a bench" rather than panic-hiring to fill vacancies. By shifting the focus to experience design, companies can foster a culture where employees actively recruit their peers.

"The worst time to go out and hire someone is to fill a spot that has been vacated because everybody's under the stress that it has to be filled right now," Coleman states. "What we need to be doing is constantly thinking about our future players and constantly building our bench."

He suggests that true success is measurable by internal advocacy: "The way you know you're running a remarkable organization is if you announce to the team, 'we're gonna hire a new salesperson,' and your existing employees come to the table with recommendations of people they want to work with. If your own people aren't actively bringing you other people that they want to work with, something is broken in your culture."

Links

Disrupting Retention: Hacking Employee and Customer Profits with Joey
Coleman

https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-retention-hacking-employee-and-customer-profits-with-joey-coleman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeycoleman1/

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.

Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple's App Store and Spotify.

About Disruption Interruption™
Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.

About Joey Coleman

Joey Coleman is a two-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author /and a leading expert in experience design and retention strategy. As the creator of the First 100 Days® framework, Joey helps organizations transform the way they engage with employees and customers, turning new relationships into lifelong loyalty.

With a background as a criminal defense attorney, White House advisor, and consultant to organizations like NASA, Volkswagen, and Zappos, Joey brings a unique perspective to solving the costly challenges of employee and customer turnover. His books, Never Lose a Customer Again and Never Lose an Employee Again, provide actionable strategies backed by over 50 case studies from all seven continents.

A sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader, Joey has delivered thousands of speeches across the globe, inspiring businesses to create remarkable experiences that drive retention and profitability.

About Karla Jo Helms
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.

References

1. Phelan, J. (2024, April 2). Onboarding new employees — without overwhelming them. Harvard Business Review. hbr.org/2024/04/onboarding-new-employees-without-overwhelming-them

Media Inquiries:

Karla Jo Helms

JOTO PR™ 

727-777-4629

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