"It is clear that the costs of losing your best people have increased dramatically and that this presents a level of risk that many organizations are simply not prepared to take right now," Foote said in a statement.

Some executives told Foote that competition for talent has intensified as many of their own customers have now entered the outsourcing services business, he said. "All of this has renewed interest in well-conceived, executable retention strategies that are integrated with overall workforce staffing plans and strategies."