Half of the global workforce is actively looking for a new job or keeping an eye out for opportunities. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025, 50 percent of employees worldwide are “watching or seeking,” and more than half say it’s a good time to find a job. For early-career employees, the risk is even greater—58 percent of those under age 35 are considering a move compared with just 43 percent of their older colleagues.
For lab managers, those numbers are more than just sobering—they’re a call to act strategically on lab staff retention. Most laboratory roles are on-site and instrument-dependent, and Gallup’s data shows that on-site workers in remote-capable roles report lower engagement and higher job-hunting rates than their fully remote peers. In North America, the situation is especially precarious: engagement is relatively high at 31 percent, but daily stress tops the global charts at 50 percent, and 57 percent say the job market is favorable for a switch.
In this climate, keeping early-career scientists is about more than perks—it’s about operational decisions that directly support lab staff retention by keeping your best people engaged, recognized, and confident in their future at your lab.
Why labs are uniquely exposed
Job engagement worldwide remains modest, with just 21 percent of employees engaged and 17 percent actively disengaged. Daily stress, at 40 percent globally, takes a toll on productivity, safety, and morale.
In labs, that pressure is compounded by rigid scheduling, compliance burdens, and the physical demands of hands-on work. Without deliberate lab staff retention strategies, early-career scientists—the group most likely to be scanning job boards—are vulnerable to leaving for roles they perceive as offering more growth, recognition, or stability.
Growth and recognition: a core lab staff retention lever
A clear, visible career trajectory is one of the most effective antidotes to attrition and a proven driver of lab staff retention. An internal career ladder, such as Research Associate I–III, with defined competencies and timelines for review, shows employees that their work is valued and has a future in your organization. This is particularly impactful for scientists early in their careers, who are deciding whether to commit to your lab or move on.
Equally important is how credit is given. Authorship and acknowledgment practices remain a source of tension in many labs, and research shows that women and other underrepresented groups are disproportionately under-credited in multi-author work. Publicly posting and consistently applying an authorship policy—modeled on clear contribution thresholds—can help close these gaps.
Some core facilities even integrate authorship criteria into their project intake forms and ELNs, ensuring that contributions are documented from the start. When staff see their work recognized fairly and predictably, it builds trust and strengthens lab staff retention.
Recognition should also be frequent and specific. The best praise and recognition “directly addresses the success,” advises Scott D. Hanton, PhD, editorial director for Lab Manager and a former laboratory general manager. “Vague praise can feel patronizing.” Furthermore, the praise should be done in the moment.
Appreciation also helps buffer against workplace stress. As reported in another Lab Manager story, workers can be burned out by what researchers referred to as “illegitimate tasks,” or those that fall outside the typical scope of an employee’s role or seem unnecessary. In labs, where task distribution can skew toward repetitive, menial, or high-pressure work, consistent appreciation reassures staff that their efforts matter, even when the work is less than glamorous.
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Timely, specific praise and equitable credit policies are not just morale boosters—they are strategic levers for lab staff retention, ensuring people feel seen, valued, and motivated to stay.
Work distribution: reducing friction to retain staff
While most labs can’t offer remote flexibility, they can control how work is distributed. High-strain or undesirable tasks, such as after-hours sample processing or repetitive prep work, can become major retention risks if they consistently fall on the same individuals. A coverage matrix, coupled with short-term cross-training, helps spread these tasks evenly while building redundancy for critical methods.
Protecting uninterrupted time for analysis and documentation is another simple yet powerful lab staff retention tactic. In many labs, scientists are expected to bounce between bench work and data processing, increasing the likelihood of mistakes and rework. Blocking out dedicated desk periods improves quality and gives employees a greater sense of control over their work.
Administrative burden can also erode morale. Steps like standardizing SOPs, holding agenda-driven meetings with clear takeaways, and maintaining a single source of truth in the LIMS or ELN streamlines operations and supports lab staff retention by removing unnecessary friction from daily work.
Culture and predictability: the human side of lab staff retention
Culture shapes whether people want to stay. Staff retention improves in labs where psychological safety is part of the daily environment—where people feel comfortable reporting near-misses, admitting mistakes, and suggesting process improvements without fear of blame. Running blameless incident debriefs focused on fixing processes rather than pointing fingers fosters trust and encourages open communication.
Onboarding is another overlooked opportunity for lab staff retention. Instead of a one-day orientation, consider extending onboarding over a longer period with regular check-ins, an assigned mentor, and clear discussions about what success looks like. This sustained engagement helps new hires integrate into the team and understand both the technical and cultural aspects of their role.
Measuring retention success
Track both leading and lagging indicators of lab staff retention. First, establish baseline metrics for your lab by either using industry averages from a reliable source or determining your own historical data from which to judge progress. Note that every lab’s baseline numbers for staff retention will look different.
Leading indicators include the percentage of staff with current development plans, recognition frequency, cross-training coverage, and ELN/LIMS task documentation rates.
Lagging indicators—such as voluntary turnover or exit interview themes—help gauge long-term impact.
Reviewing these metrics monthly with your leadership team and sharing quarterly updates with staff keeps progress visible and reinforces trust.
The bottom line
In a job market where half of employees are open to leaving—and the numbers are even higher for early-career scientists—lab staff retention is too important to leave to chance.
By making career progress visible, ensuring fair and transparent credit, distributing work equitably, and fostering a safe, predictable culture, lab managers can keep their most promising people engaged and productive. The payoff isn’t just in lower turnover—it’s in steadier throughput, fewer errors, and a stronger, more resilient team.
