There are many reasons why employees quit their jobs. They may quit in order to follow their partners across the country, stay home with the kids, change careers, find upwardly mobile career promotions, or go back to school for further studies. Those reasons are tough to address by an employer because they involve life events in the employee’s world outside of work.
But, the majority of reasons why employees quit their job are under the control of the employer. Any element of the current workplace, the culture, environment, employee’s perception of his/her job, and opportunities are factors determined by the employer. As an employer, in order to retain employees, you should be able to provide that great opportunity in your company and know what that great opportunity to retain your best employees.
With that, here are 7 critical reasons why employees are leaving your organization.
Toxic Employee relationship
Employees don’t need to be friends with their boss but they need to have a relationship. The boss is too much of an integral part of their daily lives at work for an uncomfortable relationship. The boss provides direction and feedback, spends time in one-to-one meetings, and connects the employee to the larger organization. To have a toxic relationship with the person an employee reports to undermines the employee’s engagement, confidence, and commitment. According to many sources, a bad boss is also the number one reason why employees quit their job. Be a good boss.
Bored at work
No one wants to be bored and unchallenged by their work. Really. If you have an employee who acts as if he/she is, you need to help her find her passion. Employees want to enjoy their job. They spend more than a third of their days working, getting ready for work, and transporting themselves to work.
Be sure to work closely with employees who report to you to ensure that each employee is engaged, excited, and challenged to contribute, create, and perform. Otherwise, you will lose them to an employer who will.
No room for growth
When employees use their significant skills and abilities on the job, they feel a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-confidence. They are participating in activities that they are good at and that stretch their skills and abilities even further.
Employees want to develop and grow their skills. If they’re not able to do this in your organization, they’ll find one where they can.
This also includes opportunity. If an employee can’t see a path to continued growth in their current organization, they are likely to look elsewhere for career development or a promotion opportunity. Make sure that you’re talking with them and that you know their hopes and dreams. Help them create a clearly defined path to achieving them.
Meaningfulness of the employee’s job
Every employee wants to do something that makes a difference, that isn’t busywork or transactional work, and that contributes to something bigger than themselves. Ambitious and doable. But, managers must help employees see where their work contributes to the execution of deliverables that make a difference in the world.
Everyone’s work needs the same meaningfulness. Help employees connect to why their work has meaning or they will find a job with an employer who will.
Lack of trust, autonomy, and Independence
Organizations talk about empowerment, autonomy, and independence, but they are not something that you can do to people or give them. They are traits and characteristics that an employee needs to pursue and embrace. You are responsible for the work environment that enables them to do this. They are responsible for doing it.
As the employer or manager, cultivate the culture of trust and accountability. by doing so, you create empowerment as employees own and execute their responsibilities. Without this, your best employees will leave.
Your mission is not clear
If employees don’t understand what the organization’s, or their department’s, goals are, or what their role is in the overall strategy, chances are, they will not be as engaged. Having a strong set of corporate values, a mission statement and specific goals can help direct employees’ energy and help them see how their individual contributions are part of a greater whole.
Helping employees feel valued isn’t difficult but it may involve investing a bit more time to listen, gather feedback, and incorporate that feedback into company policies and mission statements.
No work-life balance
Paying attention to employees’ struggles to manage work and home life can go a long way toward keeping top talent. We all know that It’s often the little things that work best.
Little things that emphasize the importance of work-life balance go a long way toward making employees feel that they’re a valuable asset to the company, and to their families.
By constantly inviting feedback, listening to employees’ concerns, and incorporating that into the fabric of everyday life, both for the company and for employees’ home lives, you can ensure you’re keeping and nurturing the best and brightest.
