"The main magnet is reservations." Employee turnover at EPAM has been less than 10% for 20 years. How the company keeps people during wartime
EPAM has a record low employee turnover rate in 20 years — less than 10%. How does the company manage this?
EPAM has a record low employee turnover rate in 20 years — less than 10%. How does the company manage this?
As the company’s HRD Natalia Kolyadko told Forbes, the main magnet is booking. «EPAM books specialists, this is known in the market. Experienced, unique employees join us,» says Kolyadko. Against the backdrop of mobilization risks, this has become one of the key factors in choosing an employer in IT.
But bookings alone won’t explain the number. EPAM has built a full-fledged learning ecosystem with thousands of flexible elements — both its own and external ones. An AI platform helps navigate them: it suggests to each employee what is worth learning, based on career goals, current skill level, and specialization.
A separate philosophy is the «adult-adult» interaction model. «It’s about attention, care, and responsiveness. At the same time, it’s also about developing specialists,» explains Kolyadko. An illustration from the pandemic: when employees asked for antiseptics, the company calculated that on EPAM’s scale it would cost over $100,000 — and instead bought oxygen concentrators, which it rented out for free and then donated to charitable foundations.
Sabbaticals are also in the arsenal — up to six months, usually to resolve personal, family or medical issues. EPAM has dozens of such requests every year. The main function is to retain a valuable specialist who might otherwise be released. Upon return — simplified re-boarding: meetings with a manager and people partner, updating knowledge, forming a curriculum. Due to the constant emergence of new projects, a person can return to radically new conditions — this is openly acknowledged.
EPAM’s revenue grew by $98 million year-on-year: highlights from the report for the first quarter of 2026
EPAM’s revenue grew by $98 million year-on-year: highlights from the report for the first quarter of 2026
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