Top five reasons why employees leave their jobs and suggestions on how your business can take action to minimise the loss of quality talent.
1. Negative relationship with direct manager. When an employee feels unrecognised and unappreciated by the person they report to it is unlikely they will be motivated to perform at a high standard or feel compelled to stay. Ensuring all managers within your organisation understand the impact their management style has on retention is vital. Training managers in the softer skills (personal communication) required to engage a team can make a significant difference.
2. There is little hope for career advancement or growth. Employees often feel that many jobs offer little or no opportunity to advance. Employers should work with employees to understand each individual’s career expectations and where possible design a clear, step by step development path to achieve these goals. It’s important employers don’t over promise in this area, because not delivering an agreed promise can quickly lead to an employee becoming disengaged.
3. The reality of a role does not match what was promised during the recruitment process. If an employee believes they received an unrealistic or incorrect job description when they applied for their position, they quickly develop a general lack of trust in their employer. Employers must ensure they provide a detailed and accurate description of the job throughout the entire recruitment process, from ad placement to interviewing and at all touch points in between. Engaging a recruitment expert to advise you on how to best communicate the benefits and pitfalls of a role can help avoid this.
4. Employees are overworked and stressed out. Many employees perceive an overwhelming lack of respect for themselves and their work/life balance. It is ironic that this perception is one of the primary reasons for leaving employers when so many are publicising the fact that work/life considerations are a priority. Employees have decided that, in many cases, this is more rhetoric than fact. Employers need to lead by example, showing that they have a balanced life and encouraging staff to do the same. Ultimately a balanced life will lead to a healthier and more productive workforce.
5. Employees perceive a lack of coaching and/or mentoring from their employers. Heavy workloads and a focus on short-term success can result in employers not making sufficient time for meaningful and constructive individual engagement with their employees. When this one-on-one interaction is not provided employees can quickly lose direction and feel unappreciated. Employers need to ensure they regularly acknowledge both negative and positive performance. Setting aside regular times to engage with employees is vital as is ensuring quality employees have the ability to engage with other people across the business in a bid to drive knowledge sharing and development.
