Reducing employees' turnover in transactional services: a Lean Six Sigma case study

Purpose – The case study aims to illustrate the application of Lean Six Sigma into the human resource (HR) function of a service industry corporation. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on process information and primary data from a real project. Findings – The study describes improvements in the HR management attributable to Lean Six Sigma: decrease of employees' voluntary turnover and increase in employees' satisfaction. Originality/value – Although being extremely successful in the last two decades in the manufacturing sector, the application of Lean Six Sigma to the service industry in general, and HR management in particular, has been a controversial topic: this study illustrates how its application can reduce employees' voluntary turnover rate and increase their satisfaction, hence increasing the return on investment of human capital.