Say it like this
- improve retention rates
- retention strategy
- employee retention
- customer retention
- retention bonus
Use it at work
Product metrics
- Week-one retention went up to 40%.
- How can we improve retention for new users?
HR
- Employee retention is a big focus this year.
- Good managers help retention.
Data
- Our data retention policy is 90 days.
- We delete logs after the retention period.
Don't say this
Retention is not used as a verb in tech. Use 'keep' or 'maintain' instead. Retention is a noun meaning the act of keeping people (employees or customers), not code.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| retention | Users or staff who stay | Product, HR | Growth, people |
| churn | Users who leave | Product, CS | Opposite of retention |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Our _______ rate dropped to 75 percent after the management change.
2. Which sentence uses retention correctly?
3. Your manager asks about keeping employees. Which sounds most professional?
4. Rewrite this in natural tech English: 'The number of people who stay working here has gone down by 5 percent this year.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 5
"improve retention rates"
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More about retention
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"Our retention metrics show that 85 percent of users stay active after the first week."
- in a team meeting
"We need to focus on retention this quarter because our churn rate has increased by 3 percent."
- in a performance review
"Strong retention of top talent is essential for maintaining our engineering team's stability."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Retention in tech usually refers to keeping employees or users, not keeping code or features. Do not confuse with 'retaining' code changes (use 'keeping' instead).
- ✕Our retention is down because we shipped bugs.✓Our user retention is down because we shipped bugs.
Always specify what kind of retention (user retention, employee retention, customer retention, or add 'rate') to avoid ambiguity.
- ✕We offered a retention plan to the developers.✓We offered a retention bonus to the developers.
While 'retention plan' is acceptable, 'retention bonus' or 'retention package' is more commonly used in tech companies.
Other forms(4)
- retention noun
"High retention is a sign of a healthy company culture."
- retention rate noun
"Our annual retention rate improved from 88 percent to 92 percent."
- retention bonus noun
"The company offered a retention bonus to keep key engineers during the acquisition."
- retention (as modifier) adjective
"The HR team developed a new retention strategy to reduce turnover."
Often used with(7)
- retention rate · Most common collocation; refers to the percentage of employees or customers retained over a time period
- retention bonus · Extra payment offered to employees to encourage them to stay with the company
- retention strategy · A plan or approach designed to keep employees or customers engaged and reduce churn
- improve retention · To increase the percentage of people staying with the company or using a product
- employee retention · Specifically refers to keeping staff members from leaving the company
- customer retention · Specifically refers to keeping customers or users engaged with a product or service
- retention metrics · Measurable data used to track how well a company keeps employees or customers
Similar words(3)
- employee retention · More specific term; retention alone can mean either employees or customers
- staying power · Informal synonym; less common in formal business contexts
- churn reduction · Focuses on reducing the opposite (people leaving) rather than keeping people
Opposites(4)
- churn
- attrition
- turnover
- exodus
Questions(5)
- What does retention mean in software engineering and tech?
- In tech, retention primarily refers to keeping employees or users. Employee retention measures how long staff stay with the company, while user or customer retention measures how many people continue using a product. Both are key business metrics. Retention is not about keeping code or features; for that, use 'keep' or 'maintain.'
- How do you use retention in a sentence at work?
- Use retention as a noun with specific modifiers: 'Our employee retention rate is 90 percent,' 'We need a better retention strategy,' or 'The company offered a retention bonus to senior engineers.' Always specify what kind of retention you mean (employee, customer, user) to avoid confusion.
- Is retention formal or informal?
- Retention is neutral and professional. It appears equally in formal presentations, emails, and casual team meetings. It is standard business language used by HR, leadership, and product teams.
- What is the difference between retention and churn?
- Retention and churn are opposites. Retention measures how many people stay; churn measures how many leave. A 90 percent retention rate means a 10 percent churn rate. Companies focus on improving retention and reducing churn.
- What is a retention bonus?
- A retention bonus is extra money offered to employees (often during company changes or acquisitions) to encourage them to stay. It is common in tech to retain key engineers during mergers or high-turnover periods.
