The Hold Rate · methodology

One number, three rules, no asterisks.

The Hold Rate is the share of Tethran placements still in seat — or contract-complete — at 180 days. It will be the industry's first audited, quarterly retention number covering every placement, permanent and contract. It publishes here, starting Q1 2027.

The rules

Defined before our first placement, so it can never be negotiated after

RULE 01

Every placement counts

Permanent and contract, every desk, every start. No cherry-picked denominator, no "qualifying placements" fine print.

RULE 02

180 days, third-party audited

In seat or contract-complete at 180 days from start. Counted by an independent auditor against our full placement ledger, published quarterly.

RULE 03

Misses cost us, not you

Any placement that falls off inside 90 days is refilled free, with credits against the fee. The Hold Guarantee is written into every client agreement — not offered on request.

Why publish

Because the industry's silence is the pitch

Staffing's standard practice is a 90-day guarantee and a quiet replacement when a placement doesn't stick — the fall-off rate is the number nobody prints. A few firms publish self-reported retention statistics; we respect that, and we're going further: audited, quarterly, and covering contract placements too, where most of the industry's volume actually lives. If the number is ever bad, it publishes anyway. That's what makes it worth anything.

HOLD RATE REPORT · Q_ 20__

PLACEMENTS IN MEASUREMENT WINDOW  ·  ——
IN SEAT / COMPLETE AT 180 DAYS  ·  ——
HOLD RATE  ·  ——.—%
BY DESK  ·  PUBLISHED PER DESK, NO ROLL-UP HIDING
AUDITOR'S STATEMENT  ·  LINKED IN FULL

Questions we expect

Who audits it? An independent accounting firm, engaged before our first placement; named in the first report.

What counts as a fall-off? A permanent placement that separates — quit or terminated — inside the window, or a contractor removed for performance. A contract that ends because the project ended counts as complete, not as a fall-off.

What if the number is bad? It publishes. The guarantee absorbs the client's risk; the number keeps us honest.