Opening list from what members report, in both directions. Add your own; the point of this thread is a checklist an owner can read in five minutes.
What keeps people
1. Pay that moves. A raise in month six and month twelve, without being asked, beats a bigger starting rate.
2. A rota published two weeks ahead and not changed by text message the night before.
3. Training that goes somewhere: a certificate the shop pays for, a trip to the roastery, a competition entry.
4. Being on the bar with the owner sometimes. Owners who never pull a shot lose the room.
5. A clear next step. "Head barista in a year if you do X" keeps people through the boring months.
6. Decent coffee for staff, free, every shift, without being weird about it.
7. Breaks that actually happen.
What makes people leave
1. Tips that are opaque, late or "adjusted".
2. Rota changes by text at 11pm.
3. A trial period that gets extended.
4. Being the only one who dials in, without the title or the pay.
5. Owners who correct staff in front of customers.
6. The extra shift that becomes the normal week.
7. No answer to "what happens next for me here".
The uncomfortable truth in the second list: none of it costs money to fix. The first list costs some. Shops with high turnover usually fail the free list first.
Owners: what did you change that measurably cut turnover? Baristas: what was the exact moment you decided to leave?