Employee poaching is hiring the finest talents of competitive firms. It can also be described as targeting the competitors’ pool of talent. Poaching is done to acquire the trained, the experienced, and the most talented employees from competitive firms. John Putzier defines “poach rate” in Get Weird! 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work,

If you still think retention is mainly about money, find out how much it is costing your competition to get people to leave you. That’s called your “poach rate .” If your poach rate is less than 20 percent, it ain’t the money, honey! People who love their work, love their boss, and love their company don’t leave unless the offer is corning from the Godfather.