1. How does the managerial task of leading affect employee performance?

2. As the economy continues to improve, workers will be looking to change jobs (and companies) at a faster pace. What can managers do to plan for and fill job openings quickly?

3. How else can managers use “big data” to help plan for human resources?

Employers want to know who is likely to leave their companies. As turnover becomes a bigger worry—and expense—in a tighteninglabor market, some companies, includingWal-Mart Stores Inc., Credit SuisseGroup AG, and Box Inc,. are analyzingmany data points to determinewho is likely to leave a post. The ideais to give managersearly warning so they can takeaction before employees leave.

Corporate data crunchers playwith dozens of factorsto identifyflight risks. The data often reveal a complexpicture of what motivates workersto stay—and what causes them tolook elsewhere. Data scientists create modelsto predict which workers mightleave a company in the near future.

As the employment pictureimproves, companies are focusingmore on retaining workers,largely because replacing them iscostly. The big challenge for employersis what, exactly, to do with theinformation data scientists provide them. Some aren’t sure howto approach employees at risk ofleaving. To help retain workers, Credit Suisse launched a global effort allowingits workers to raise their handsfor internal moves. To kindle closeness among teammembers, Box has encouraged managers to throw more social events.

Companies also are trying topredict when workers might leavetheir positions within a company. Wal-Mart istrying to determine in advancewhich employees are likely to getpromoted so that it can line upreplacements more quickly.