Beyond the Big Stay: Are Your Best Associates Quietly Quitting?

(Category: Leadership & Talent Retention | Estimated read time: 4 mins)

The calm after the storm - or something else?

The whirlwind of the “Great Resignation” has finally eased, giving way to what’s being called the “Big Stay.” For HR leaders in law firms, it might feel like a long-awaited pause. Retention rates are steady, the revolving door has slowed, and it finally feels like there’s time to catch your breath.

But beneath that calm, is something else is happening? Many associates may have stopped leaving, but they’ve also stopped fully showing up. Quietly, a wave of disengagement is growing — and if left unchecked, it could undermine your firm’s stability from within.

“Retention without engagement is a hollow victory.”

A Calm Surface, a Hidden Risk

Recent data shows that while attrition has dropped, engagement hasn’t recovered. According to Gallup, global employee engagement declined to 21 % in 2024 - in other words, around one in five employees globally are truly engaged in their work. That leaves the majority of workers operating without discretionary energy - doing what’s required but not what’s possible.

In law firms, this often shows up as quiet quitting — associates who meet their billable hours but whose spark has gone. They’re doing what’s required, not what’s possible. The energy, curiosity, and initiative that once drove them are replaced by quiet detachment.

Simply keeping people in their seats isn’t success if their engagement has disappeared. Retaining talent without reigniting it is like keeping the lights on in an empty office.

And the cost of disengagement is real: replacing one associate can cost 30–100% (or more) of their annual salary, not to mention the lost knowledge, team morale, and client confidence that go with them.

Why Top Talent Disengages

It’s tempting to assume pay or workload are the problem, but research suggests a different story. Research suggests that lack of growth, development, and meaningful career pathways often loom larger.

Gallup’s ongoing work points to development, growth, and a sense of future possibility as central drivers of engagement.

➡️ Gallup: Global Employee Engagement Metric

Other retention studies also highlight ‘lack of meaningful advancement or career pathways’ routinely appears among the top reasons people leave (often outranking dissatisfaction with pay or workload).

For your top associates - ambitious, high-performing individuals - the sense that their path is limited can feel like a silent signal: ‘You’ve hit the ceiling.’ Over time, that signal corrodes motivation faster than overwork or compensation discontent.

The challenge and the opportunity for HR leaders in 2025 - moving from a reactive retention mindset to a proactive re-engagement strategy.

From Flight Risk to Future Leader: Three Ways to Re-Engage Your Associates

1. Make Internal Mobility a Core Strategy

Stop treating internal moves, cross-practice rotations, and project variety as optional perks, embed them into your talent strategy. When associates see real, credible opportunity inside, they’re far less likely to look outside.

2. Equip Managers for Real Career Conversations

Many career shifts start with casual conversations. Equip partners and senior lawyers with the language, frameworks, and confidence to discuss aspirations, alternative paths, and development, not just performance. Sometimes a five-minute check-in can prevent a multi-figure exit.

3. Offer Confidential Career Support

Sometimes associates feel stuck but don’t feel safe saying so. Offering a confidential external coach gives them a neutral, confidential space to think - and signals genuine investment in their future - internal or external.

A strong coach can help associates:

• Clarify their goals - what do they genuinely want next? a new challenge, leadership role, or better balance.

• Visualise internal opportunities - lateral moves, stretch assignments, cross-practice rotations, leadership roles.

• Build confidence & voice - support them in raising constructive career conversations with leadership.

The Big Stay Isn’t the Endpoint - It’s a Turning Point

The “Big Stay” isn’t a finish line; it’s a window of opportunity. Firms that use this time not just to hold onto people, but to reignite their ambition, clarity, and connection will not just retain, they’ll inspire a renewal of purpose.
If disengagement is the quiet crisis, then proactive, visible investment in career growth is its quiet cure.

About the Author

Caroline Bowes is an Executive and Career Transition Coach with a background as a senior HR leader in global law firms. She helps professional services leaders and HR teams re-engage talent, manage transitions with confidence, and build thriving workplaces where people want to stay and grow.

Want to take the next step?

If you’d like to explore how coaching can help your firm re-engage associates or support leadership development, book a confidential consultation or connect with Caroline on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinebowes/