What term describes the departure of an employee that a company would have liked to retain due to performance?

• A. Functional turnover
• B. Voluntary turnover
• C. Involuntary turnover
• D. Dysfunctional turnover

Answer: (D)

Focusing on how turnover affects the organization, this describes losing a high-performing employee that the company would have liked to keep. That situation is labeled dysfunctional turnover because it harms performance and potential, not because the employee was a poor fit. It contrasts with functional turnover, where the departing employee is lower-performing and the company benefits. The voluntary vs involuntary aspect isn’t the core issue here; the key point is the negative impact of losing a valuable, high-performing contributor. For example, a top performer leaves for a better opportunity, and the firm loses critical skills and momentum.