Saw this note circulating in facebook about why good employees quit. I will let you do the reading first, if you wish to read my comments then feel free to check out the last part.
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Top 10 Reasons Why Good Employees Quit
By Shel Myeroff
According to the US Department of Labor and Statistics, turnover can cost an organization 33% of an employee’s total compensation including both salary and benefits. But the impact is not only financial it also affects employee morale. Therefore, it would be prudent for hiring managers to focus on reducing turnover rates but in order to do that they must first understand the reasons why employees quit.
There have been many studies and articles written on why good employees leave their current positions. As a veteran search consultant, I have heard an infinite number of reasons first hand. Over the years, I have identified and compiled a list of what I feel are the “Top Ten” reasons why good employees quit:
1) The job was not as expected. All too often the job changes from the original description and what was promised during the interviewing stages. It becomes painfully clear to the new hire that their new company played the bait and switch game which ultimately leads to mistrust. The new hire is now thinking, “What else are they lying about?”
2) Work/Life imbalance. There are times when management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people. This is especially true when a company downsizes or restructures resulting in longer hours and possible weekend work. Employees are often forced to choose between a personal life and a career.
3) Mismatch between job and new hire. No matter how much you love the candidate, don’t hire them unless they are truly qualified for the job and they mesh with your company culture. Too many times, I’ve seen hiring managers try to fit a square peg into a round hole especially when it comes to a sales position.
4) Management freezes raises and promotions. Money isn’t usually the first reason why people leave an organization but it does rank especially when an employee can find a job earning 20-25% more somewhere else. Make sure your wages are competitive and your benefits package is attractive. Resources like www.salary.com can provide accurate and appropriate information.
5) Feeling undervalued. It’s human nature to want to be recognized and praised for a job well done. And in business, recognizing employees is not simply a nice thing to do but an effective way to communicate your appreciation for their efforts and successes while also reinforcing those actions and behaviors that make a difference in your organization.
6) Lack of decision-making power. Too many managers micromanage down to the finest detail. Empower your employees and allow them the freedom make suggestions and decisions. I realize that Empowerment is a ‘catch-all’ term for many ideas on employee authority and responsibility; but as a broad definition it means giving employees latitude to do their jobs and placing trust in them.
7) Too little coaching & feedback. Many managers have no clue on how to help employees improve their performance. In addition, many managers put off giving feedback to employees even though they instinctively know that giving and getting honest feedback is essential for growth and in building successful teams and organizations. Your role as a manager is to help your people find the right behavior, not just tell them what to do.
8) Management lacks people skills. Remember that many managers were promoted because they did their first job well, but that doesn’t mean they know how to lead others. People skills can be learned and developed but it really helps if a manager has the natural ability to get along with people and motivate them.
9) Too few growth opportunities. One of the most common reasons employees express for leaving their jobs is lack of challenge and potential for career growth. The most successful employers find ways to help employees develop new skills and responsibilities in their current positions.
10) Loss of faith and confidence in corporate leaders. With employees being asked to do more and more, they see less evidence that they will share in the fruits of their successes. More often than not, when revenues and profits are up, employers are still thinking competitive wages but employees are thinking bonuses, stock options and creative development opportunities.
By Shel Myeroff
According to the US Department of Labor and Statistics, turnover can cost an organization 33% of an employee’s total compensation including both salary and benefits. But the impact is not only financial it also affects employee morale. Therefore, it would be prudent for hiring managers to focus on reducing turnover rates but in order to do that they must first understand the reasons why employees quit.
There have been many studies and articles written on why good employees leave their current positions. As a veteran search consultant, I have heard an infinite number of reasons first hand. Over the years, I have identified and compiled a list of what I feel are the “Top Ten” reasons why good employees quit:
1) The job was not as expected. All too often the job changes from the original description and what was promised during the interviewing stages. It becomes painfully clear to the new hire that their new company played the bait and switch game which ultimately leads to mistrust. The new hire is now thinking, “What else are they lying about?”
2) Work/Life imbalance. There are times when management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people. This is especially true when a company downsizes or restructures resulting in longer hours and possible weekend work. Employees are often forced to choose between a personal life and a career.
3) Mismatch between job and new hire. No matter how much you love the candidate, don’t hire them unless they are truly qualified for the job and they mesh with your company culture. Too many times, I’ve seen hiring managers try to fit a square peg into a round hole especially when it comes to a sales position.
4) Management freezes raises and promotions. Money isn’t usually the first reason why people leave an organization but it does rank especially when an employee can find a job earning 20-25% more somewhere else. Make sure your wages are competitive and your benefits package is attractive. Resources like www.salary.com can provide accurate and appropriate information.
5) Feeling undervalued. It’s human nature to want to be recognized and praised for a job well done. And in business, recognizing employees is not simply a nice thing to do but an effective way to communicate your appreciation for their efforts and successes while also reinforcing those actions and behaviors that make a difference in your organization.
6) Lack of decision-making power. Too many managers micromanage down to the finest detail. Empower your employees and allow them the freedom make suggestions and decisions. I realize that Empowerment is a ‘catch-all’ term for many ideas on employee authority and responsibility; but as a broad definition it means giving employees latitude to do their jobs and placing trust in them.
7) Too little coaching & feedback. Many managers have no clue on how to help employees improve their performance. In addition, many managers put off giving feedback to employees even though they instinctively know that giving and getting honest feedback is essential for growth and in building successful teams and organizations. Your role as a manager is to help your people find the right behavior, not just tell them what to do.
8) Management lacks people skills. Remember that many managers were promoted because they did their first job well, but that doesn’t mean they know how to lead others. People skills can be learned and developed but it really helps if a manager has the natural ability to get along with people and motivate them.
9) Too few growth opportunities. One of the most common reasons employees express for leaving their jobs is lack of challenge and potential for career growth. The most successful employers find ways to help employees develop new skills and responsibilities in their current positions.
10) Loss of faith and confidence in corporate leaders. With employees being asked to do more and more, they see less evidence that they will share in the fruits of their successes. More often than not, when revenues and profits are up, employers are still thinking competitive wages but employees are thinking bonuses, stock options and creative development opportunities.
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Even though I agreed with the majority of the points mentioned, but I do wish to clarify that the whole article above is based on the employee's point of view. Sometimes, we do have to ask ourselves, how good are we? Not everyone is as competent as they think, some people just like to blame and procrastinate about their job, work and life. Often you see employee blamed that the company did not appreciate them as a contributor or as a worker, and seldom they realise that they themselves need to improve themselves too.
From an employer's point of view, different job scope could be due to unforeseen circumstances, such as deviation from project goals or departure of other employees. Of course, I'm not trying to find excuses or cover up for the employer, I'm just stating some possible reasons to refer. When a management freezes raise or promotion, it could be due to decreasing profitability of the company. If a employee is willing to bear the hardship with the company, then the company must never take for granted and avoid compensation when things get better.
Feeling undervalued could be what drives most of the employees to change their job. While being underpaid is somehow acceptable, being undervalued is not. When someone felt undervalued, it is actually worse than being underpaid, especially for fresh graduates like me. We always want to perform and to prove that we are capable of doing wonderful things, but when our work is not appreciated, it often demotivates us who really put effort whole heartly to accomplish something. Growth opportunity is also a key factor to seek for especially for employee who wish to settle down and secure on one company only. Without growth opportunity is like a place without future where everything will be stagnant and repetitive day by day, and life will be meaningless without challenge.
No doubt there are always some excellent workers in each company, but sometimes a company just does not require such talent and often these talent will choose to leave. If that's the case then the points mentioned above are valid. How about workers that are not as good, mediocre, or simply incompetent? Usually these people will occupy the two extremes, either they will be contented and spend their remaining life pathetically, or they will be the one that complains and bitches the most about the company.
For once I'm the one who always complain and bitch about how the company treats me, but sooner I realised that sometimes both sides have to be responsible. When I just started work, I'm very hardworking and enthusiast-ed, I tried my best to accomplish all my task way ahead schedule and way above expectations. My performance was well acknowledged by my superior but unfortunately not by the company. The company has many rules and standards to follow and at the end of the day, I'm just another standard worker based on their judgement.
So, out of the top 10 reasons, how many of them actually representing how I felt? Let's see, 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Wow, there's a lot! After reading about the real world outside, the wildfire in my heart has slowly deminished into a small match stick fire. While still having hope for a good company that appreciates good talent, I'm improving myself in order to get ready when the chance come.
There's a chinese proverb saying that "a good horse requires a good rider, a good rider requires a good horse". It simply means that, a good employer and a good employee are mutually important and one cannot exist without another. I think that it makes good sense because both required each other in order to obtain the best out of each other. I'm still looking for my rider.
"complain here and there will not change anything, you have to start the change"
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