This paper examines whether positive employee assessments of a company can counteract employees’ economic incentives to leave the company. Findings indicate that, while turnover rates typically decrease (increase) reflecting financial improvement (deterioration), an asymmetry is introduced in companies with high employee satisfaction levels: their turnover rates do decrease, but do not increase, as expected by financial changes. The asymmetry is mainly attributed to satisfaction driven by non-monetary aspects, rather than by monetary rewards. Further analysis shows that lower-than-expected turnover rates are positively associated with future firm performance. Overall, the empirical evidence suggests that cultivating positive work environment could mitigate collective turnover risks during financial downturns and enhance firm performance.