The Great Talent Exodus: What Jamaica’s Olympic Stars Teach Us About Employee Retention

The news that four of Jamaica’s top Olympic athletes were in the process of switching allegiance to Turkey sent shockwaves through Jamaica. These are field event athletes who either won medals at the 2024 Olympic Games or are on the cusp of writing their names in the annals of history. Yet, they are ready to move on. This is a stark reminder for business leaders that even your highest performers can choose to leave if they feel undervalued. It highlights that retention should not be treated as an afterthought but a leadership priority.

“Exodus! Movement of Jah people!” These Bob Marley lyrics about a journey of liberation and new beginnings have taken on a new meaning as Jamaica watches its Olympic medal winners seek opportunities elsewhere. Whilst this is the business of sport, perhaps there are lessons that organisations can learn about talent retention, specifically focusing on retaining high-potential and high-performing individuals.

^{Why Companies Must Prioritise Talent Retention}

Talent is one of an organisation’s most important intangible assets. This is supported by the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, which tells us that sustainable competitive advantage is derived from the internal resources and capabilities of a firm that are valuable, rare, and difficult to replicate [1]. Your people fit this description perfectly, which is why competitors are trying to poach them.

Consider Jamaica’s stark reality: Over 80 per cent of Jamaicans with tertiary-level education and living outside of Jamaica were trained in Jamaica [2].We developed world-class capabilities, only to watch other territories benefit from our investment. This is brain drain, a term used to “describe the effect on a nation when significant numbers of its best and brightest people are attracted to more highly paid jobs in foreign countries” [3]. It is increasingly evident that competition for talent is no longer local but global as in our remote-first world it is easier for people to evaluate global opportunities. For example, an individual can stay right here in Jamaica and work for a US-based firm. Therefore, our perspectives on talent management and its importance may need to be revisited.

Global talent management has been defined as all the activities that the organisation undertakes in order to attract, develop and retain the best employees in the most strategic roles worldwide [4]. It identifies four critical phases of talent management: attract, identify, develop and retain (see Figure 1). Research shows that companies generally experience the most challenges in the areas of attracting and retaining talent.

The impending exodus of Jamaica’s Olympic athletes represents a case study in retention failure. These athletes initially wanted to represent Jamaica (attraction). They were identified as talent and given an opportunity based on their performance. Their talent was developed leading to them winning Olympic medals, yet they still chose to leave. Leaving is a huge sacrifice as they will be unable to participate in the World Championships this year.

The question every leader should ask is: If Jamaica can lose Olympic champions, what makes you confident that you can retain your top performers?

Despite popular opinion, people do not leave solely because of money.

The Real Drivers of Talent Defection

When news broke about Turkey’s lucrative offers to Jamaican athletes, the initial reaction was predictable: “It’s all about money.” If we were to examine what motivates people, we may come away with a different conclusion. One theory, which suggests something more complex may be afoot, is Herzberg’s two-factor theory.

Herzberg’s two-factor theory, also known as the motivation-hygiene theory, is one of the most influential theories in the field of work motivation and job satisfaction. It identifies two distinct categories of workplace factors:

• Hygiene factors (salary, benefits, working conditions), where their absence causes dissatisfaction, but their presence doesn’t necessarily motivate
• Motivator factors (achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, which drive genuine satisfaction and retention) [6]

Leaders need to consider how much attention will be paid to the intrinsic factors that can motivate people, positively contributing to their level of satisfaction and ultimately influencing an organisation’s ability to retain them. If you don’t believe me, the Jamaican athletes’ own words present this theory in practice.

The Voice of the Athlete

Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Current World Rankings #11 Women’s shot put [7])

“These people [JOA and JAAA] don’t care about field events in Jamaica. If they did, they would make sure that we have everything we need… The gold medal that they were waiting for did not come from the track, it came from the field events, and those are the events that they neglect so much in Jamaica. Most of the medals we’ve gotten so far at these Games comes from the field events, and we’re the most marginalised groups within Jamaican track and field. It is very frustrating, and it is time for them to stop and really reflect on what they are doing to us as athletes” [8]

Translation for executives: I feel marginalised and unsupported. I do not have the resources needed to effectively carry out my task. My contributions aren’t valued despite delivering results.

Wayne Pinnock (Current World Rankings #2 Men’s Long jump [9]):

“I feel I think Jamaica need to do better, you know, with the athletes because I’m being honest, if I do decide to get hurt right now, I know Jamaica not going to put me back on my feet for sure. I do know I’m gonna have to spend the money out of my own pocket. So, you know, if I could get the opportunity where someone will look out for me, you know, because I’ve been doing good for my country and honestly, I never got an email from no one saying congrats before.” [10]

Translation for executives: I feel unsupported and unappreciated. There is no one looking out for my long-term interest locally. Let me move to an environment where my needs will be considered.

Rojé Stona (Current World Rankings #5 Men’s Discuss Throw [11]):

“I think maybe they (JAAA) need to pay more attention to the athlete’s needs. I feel like a lot of the athletes have a lot of needs for them to pursue or thrive in their career especially on this type of circuit, and it can get difficult at times.” – Rojé Stona [12]

Translation for executives: Without the necessary support, people cannot thrive under current conditions.

These athletes highlight primarily motivator deficits according to Herzberg’s framework. Concerns were raised about lack of recognition, support, and how this can stifle their career. This teaches leaders that money is not all, and time should be spent examining what your people truly need.

Reading the Warning Signs

When the news of the athlete defections became public, the Jamaica Athletics Association (JAAA) focused on defending the organisation in an attempt to minimise criticism. Whilst this reaction was understandable, it was strategically counterproductive as the root cause of the issues had not been acknowledged. A key part of the responsibility of an organisation is to pause, identify the root cause of the issues, as only then can concerns be addressed. We need to reframe how we look at concerns and complaints, recognising that these are gifts as they provide feedback which enables us to fix what isn’t going well.

The writing has been on the wall for some time regarding the Jamaican athlete’s dissatisfaction with the governing body. It has been communicated in varying ways. Organisational behaviour research has helped us to categorise these responses as demonstrated in the exit–voice–loyalty–neglect framework (see Figure 2):

1. Voice. Actively and constructively attempting to address areas of concern. Danniel Thomas-Dodd exemplified this in 2024, publicly expressing frustration about field events being neglected. Executives need to learn that it is only through concerns being shared that they can fix issues.
2. Exit. Choosing to leave the organisation. Wayne Pinnock, Rojé Stona, Rajindra Campbell and Jaydon Hibbert chose to go this route by starting the process of switching allegiance to Turkey.
3. Loyalty. Passively but optimistically waiting for conditions to improve. Rajindra Campbell expressed in an interview that he was approached to compete in another country in 2023 but declined out of loyalty to Jamaica. The lesson here is don’t mistake silence for satisfaction.
4. Neglect. Passively allowing conditions to worsen and responding by exhibiting behaviours like chronic absenteeism or lateness, reduced effort, and increased error rate. This represents the mental checkout, which can be monitored with internal data.

The Strategic Response to Talent Retention

The athlete defections teach us that retention failures are systems failures. It begs the question: What can companies do to address the issue of retention? Here are a few suggestions:

• Develop your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). AnEVP requires the organisation to consider what it will offer in return for employees’ skills and contributions. This encompasses everything from compensation and benefits to career development, work-life balance, and company culture. It answers the question, ‘Why should top talent come and work at your organisation?’ Elements of the EVP can be quantifiable (e.g. salary, health insurance, stock options, training) or qualitative (e.g. company culture, career growth, flexibility, collaboration). Global talent mobility means that your EVP is competing on a global scale.

Action: Conduct an audit with your top performers to find out why they choose you and what it would take to lure them away.

• Conduct research which will provide insight into the level of employee engagement and satisfaction. If leaders want to know what is happening in their organisation, it is important to create multiple channels for ongoing feedback. This requires vulnerability as you may receive feedback which makes you uncomfortable. However, this is the information needed to ensure that things improve. I have conducted an employee satisfaction survey for a company and observed deliberate efforts being made to systematically address areas of concern while maintaining activities that are going well. It made a difference as the next year, the results of the survey improved, and feedback from employees mentioned that they appreciated the effort to address concerns. Were things perfect? No, but they saw efforts being made to change things. It was clear that the employee satisfaction survey wasn’t a check box item, and it made a difference.

Action: Conduct an employee satisfaction and engagement survey. If you have already done yours, revisit the outcome and your plans to address the issues.

• Create a positive organisational culture by embedding your values in everything that you do. Culture eats strategy for breakfast isn’t just something we say. It is reality. Typically, when a company starts, it identifies its mission, vision and core values. These three things form the company’s strategic intent. The company should be very intentional from day 1 about the culture it wants to create and ensure that it is embedded in all its practices. For example, Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) has focused on creating a culture of love which extends to all stakeholders. Their colours are red and white; their expectations about love are clear in their mission and vision statement. A statement even exists informing who they would like to be a part of the team, focusing on person-organisation fit more than person-job fit. If a culture is created that considers the whole person and is true to what is promised, this should positively contribute to retention.

Action: Audit every organisational system against your stated values. Where do you see misalignment? Those gaps predict retention failures.

• Invest in the development of your people by ensuring they get opportunities to enhance their abilities. When people feel they’re growing, they’re less likely to seek growth elsewhere. Therefore, ensure development planning is embedded in your performance management process. Each employee should have an employee development plan. This provides managers with insights into the direction their team members would like to go, whilst enhancing skills and even assisting with succession planning if carried out properly. Many times, individuals do not take the development plan seriously as they doubt it will ever be carried to fruition. Change that perspective.

Action: Ask each team member, “What skills do you want to develop this year?” Then create specific plans to deliver that development.

• Incentivise your people using monetary and non-monetary approaches. As the Jamaican saying goes, ‘encouragement sweetens labour.’  This means that when someone is encouraged or praised for their work, it makes the effort feel worthwhile. Having good relationships with your team members will help you to identify whether they are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. If the person is intrinsically motivated, tell them thanks or use Canva to create certificates of recognition which you can email to them. If someone is extrinsically motivated, you can use the same Canva certificate but present it publicly. You can also consider giving them a token, such as a Giftme card, which will allow them to pick the gift of their choice at varying retailers based on the card value.

Action: Map your top performers across the intrinsic/extrinsic spectrum. Are you recognising them in ways that actually motivate them?

Conclusion: Avoiding Your Own Exodus

If you do not want to be singing ‘Exodus’, be intentional about talent management as it is one of the most effective tools in ensuring that employees stay engaged and committed to the organisation. Jamaica’s Olympic champions didn’t just leave overnight. The competitors were able to attract our top athletes as beyond the money, the perfect conditions were created for talent flight. You now have a choice to be proactive about retention or reactive about replacement. The question is: will you act before your competitors start recruiting your champions, or after?

References

1. Barney, Jay.1991. Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108 
2. Jamaica Migration Issues. International Organization for Migration. http://iom.int/countries/jamaica
3. Brain Drain. https://www.monash.edu/business/marketing/marketing-dictionary/b/brain-drain
4. Scullion, H., David G. Collings and Paula Caligiuri. 2010. “Global talent management”. Journal of World Business, 45 (2):105-108.
5. Maqueira, Juan M., Sebastián Bruque, and Ákos Uhrin. 2019. “Talent management: two pathways to glory? Lessons from the sports arena”. Employee Relations, 41(1):34-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-11-2017-0271
6. Herzberg, Frederick., Bernard Mausner and Barbara Bloch Snyderman.1959. The motivation to work. John Wiley & Sons.
7. World Athletics. 2025. “Danniel Thomas-Dodd”. https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/danniel-thomas-dodd-14468647
8. Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez), “I can’t do this anymore. It’s very frustrating dealing with JOA and JAAA. These people don’t care about field events in Jamaica.” X, August 8,2024, https://x.com/ChrisChavez/status/1821533648711029222.
9. World Athletics. 2025. “Wayne Pinnock”. https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/wayne-pinnock-14693852
10. Pinnock, Wayne. “Wayne Pinnock Speaks On Switching Allegiance From Jamaica To Turkey For The First Time.” Inside Lane. Streamed on July 29, 2025. Youtube video, 3:24. https://youtu.be/TfvJ8Z-0jps?si=Uifd0ILMfnTbXe-T.
11. World Athletics. 2025. “Rojé Stona”. https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/roje-stona-14744385
12. Stona, Rojé. “
    Rojé Stona at London Diamond League: Explains Turkey Allegiance Switch.”   Tallawah TV. Streamed on July 19, 2025. Youtube video, 4:03. https://youtu.be/7yzbG7JEu0Q?si=q2wS4_Xgs1ImN2Yn
13. Robbins, Stephen. 2015. Organizational Behaviour 16^th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall

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Yolande Hylton is the Managing Director of Hylton Insights, an HR Consultancy Firm with a mandate to guide businesses from the transactional to the transformational HR realm, thereby enhancing individual and organizational performance. For inquiries or to learn