The Marathon Advantage: How Zoho and Mars Are Winning the Talent War While Everyone Else is Resigning

Thank you. There is a distinct sense of confidence that radiates from a company when an employee introduces themselves and mentions they have been there for eight years, like the folks I meet from Zoho. It is even more impressive when colleagues, like those at Info Tech, share that they have been with the firm for over twenty years. This is not just a statistic. It is a neon sign flashing that the company has a rock-solid business model, happy customers, and is built on a "good to great" principle.

Investor Perspective: The Loyalty vs. Layoff Paradox. As an investor, it is devastating when Wall Street rewards companies for layoffs. While headcount reduction might provide a short-term boost, it often erodes the institutional knowledge that creates long-term value. Firms that prioritize retention are often the ones built for sustainable success.

Global Retention Benchmarks: US vs. Asia

• 1. The US and Asian Divide
  The US median tenure sits at 3.9 years (BLS 2024). In contrast, Asia is battling a massive retention gap. Intentions to change jobs in markets like Malaysia and Singapore have spiked to 55%, with projected turnover rates hitting 20% in 2025 (Hays 2025; Aon 2025).
  Strategic Implication: In a high-churn world, stability is the ultimate competitive advantage. Companies that buck these trends are building a defensive wall against recruitment costs and knowledge loss.
• 2. The Gold Standard: Costco and Mars
  Costco is a retail outlier with an average employee tenure of nine years and an incredibly low 8% turnover rate. Similarly, the family-owned Mars Inc. ranks in the top 25% for retention globally, with some associates celebrating 40-year milestones (Moorepay 2025; Comparably 2026).
• 3. The Zoho Way and Private Giants
  Zoho’s unique model of hiring for potential through "Zoho Schools" creates deep-rooted loyalty. This "infinite game" approach is mirrored by private giants like Koch Industries, which focuses on employee self-actualization, and Land O'Lakes, which uses reverse mentorship to bridge the generation gap.

Direct Metrics: Retention Leaders

When comparing the same metrics, the difference in strategy becomes clear. For instance, Walmart manages a massive workforce by ensuring 75% of salaried managers started in hourly roles. Meanwhile, tech veterans like Cisco are navigating shifts toward recurring revenue, resulting in more volatile tenure patterns compared to the steady growth models of retail and private manufacturing (Walmart ESG 2025; Cisco FY2025).

The Path to Growth: AI as a Tenure Turbocharger

• Predictive and Analytical Support: AI should handle the heavy lifting of data crunching. By automating the more tedious parts of a job, work becomes easier and professional life becomes more fulfilling.
• The Longevity Enabler: When technology removes the burden of repetitive tasks, employees can focus on the human aspects of their jobs. This reduces burnout and makes a twenty-year career feel achievable.
• Happy Employees, Happy Customers: Research indicates that this loop of satisfaction can spike revenue by 16% to 25% (Psico Smart 2025).

Final Thought: Striving for long tenure is a strategic choice. Companies should strive to create a place where employees stay a long time. That is the true path to growth.

Works Cited

• Aon plc. "Southeast Asia Salary Increase and Turnover Study." Insurance Business Asia, 10 Oct. 2025, https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/asia/news/breaking-news/southeast-asia-salary-growth-steady-as-talent-gaps-persist-552503.aspx.
• "Cisco Systems Workforce Trends FY2025." Cisco Investor Relations, 2025.
• "Employee Tenure in 2024." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm.
• "Hays 2025 Asia Salary Guide." Hays Malaysia, 2025, https://www.hays.com.my/press-release/content/hays_unveils_2025_asia_salary_guide.
• "The Top Companies for Employee Retention 2025." Moorepay, 2025, https://www.moorepay.co.uk/the-ultimate-guide-to-top-companies-employee-retention-2025/.
• "Walmart FY2025 ESG Report." Walmart Corporate, 2025, https://corporate.walmart.com/content/dam/corporate/documents/esgreport/2025/FY2025-Walmart-ESG-Report.pdf.
• "The Correlation Between Employee Happiness and Revenue." Psico-Smart, 2025, https://blogs.psico-smart.com/blog-what-are-the-unexpected-correlations-between-employee-satisfaction-sur-185056.

This news summary is composed by Gemini from newsletter subscriptions and curated by me and published.