Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh explains why 18% of staff quit

Following Zappos’ ultimatum last March – adopt self-organisation or leave with severance pay – 18% of employees have left the company.

Workers were initially given until 30th April 2015 to decide where their futures lay, but those who were working on a task known as ‘Super Cloud’ were given until 4th January 2016 to avoid workflow disruption. 50 of those on this task accepted the offer, making the cumulative departure figure 260, or 18% of the workforce.

According to Transition Lead John Bunch, the firm has countered the exoduses with new hires, bringing the head count to approximately 1,500, Business Insider reports.

The severance package was three months’ salary, or a month’s salary multiplied by the number of years at the retail business.