Researchers have found that, allowing for variations attributable to the size of a company’s workforce and to the company’s business sector, companies that have low staff turnover tend to have greater labor productivity than companies with higher turnover. Since high staff turnover negatively affects workers’ sense of community and identification with company goals, clearly these adverse effects on staff attitudes are the cause of the decline in productivity as turnover increases.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. Laying off workers and, especially, hiring new ones both require continuing staff to spend time on activities that do not immediately contribute to output.
B. The introduction of technology intended to increase labor productivity can, by changing the skills needed to accomplish a task, entail an increase in staff turnover.
C. In proportion to the size of the workforce, staff turnover tends to be somewhat higher in large companies than in relatively small companies.
D. Even when staff turnover has been low, staff morale can suffer when changes in the business environment adversely affect the company’s financial prospects.
E. Workers’ sense of community and degree of identification with company goals both tend to be stronger in relatively small companies than in large companies.