Employees decide to leave work because of poor bosses, low salaries, feelings of disrespect and better opportunities. But there are some less obvious reasons why employees decide to go out the door.
More relaxed behaviors, assumptions and norms implemented in the workplace are often the main reasons employees leave the company.
10 Most Common Reasons Employees Quit Their Jobs
Unfortunately, in many companies, losing a lot of talent is not so difficult. You probably know the typical reasons why valuable employees leave – a terrible boss, underpayment, a sense of disrespect, just the appearance of a better opportunity – but less noticeable signs also deserve attention.
For my book “Find the Fire,” I talked with many talented employees about what made them quit their previous job. More than once I heard all of the above, but among all these stories, the most relaxed behavior, the assumptions and norms introduced in the workplace that young talents could not leave so quickly stood out most clearly.
Here I will share the 10 most frequently mentioned, unwritten, undesirable reasons that I noticed in my research. And they are hardly inevitable.
1. You get a promotion only if you match the profile
Employees notice who gets promoted and they are obsessed with it. If those who get promoted correspond to a single image that is too similar to the image of the boss himself, then this will not end in anything good. And I do not say at all that leaders should not have a certain type of candidate for promotion that demonstrates the necessary skills, traits or values. All this takes place, but these criteria should be clear.
I’m talking about flagrant bias and neglect of diversity from several points of view at once, which means that talented employees will simply leave the company.
2. To take risks is normal until something goes wrong
When a leader calls to take risks, but then scolds people who took risks and failed, this scares off talents.
Instead, establish clear rules for risk, for example, what distinguishes good and bad risk, what follows success or failure, who should give approval to risk, and so on. Then make these words correspond to reality, and healthy risk gets its reward.
3. You can speak out, but not contradict
This means that employees can express their opinions as long as they are consistent with those of the boss. A boss who encourages employees to give their opinion but reacts negatively to opinions other than his own is just a nightmare. Such behavior decrease employee work performance as well as he/she got disappointed.
4. “Do more with less” – this is the default option.
“Do more with fewer resources” is the cry of modern companies shackled by their resources. One way or another, the “more with less resources” mentality will quickly drain your employees. Only resort to this behavior when it is really required, but it cannot be made permanent.
Sometimes you have to do more with more resources, time or money. I am with both hands for efficiency, but constantly assuming that your best employees can deliver greater results at lower cost, will lead to the fact that they will leave soon.
5. If the boss does not notice you, then you are not working
I once worked with a boss who had old-fashioned views on remote work: if you didn’t fall into his field of vision, then you also disappeared from his mind, and this was not at all fortunate for the employee himself, because it caused the assumption that you don’t do your job at all. Today’s leader is simply obliged to engage in at least occasional remote work – this is what employees want and what we strive for. Many companies pay attention to the development of flexible conditions, so the rejection of such actions is a lack of personnel policy.
6. You will succeed only if you leave others behind.
Some work environments literally smell of politics, betrayal and self-promotion, which becomes an unwritten guide to success. Companies with a culture of cooperation are becoming more and more, and the absence of this culture will force workers to go in search of another job.
7. Training and development is only in your hands
You cannot constantly reap the benefits if you do not waste time planting seeds, thinking, or providing opportunities for learning and development. You cannot just move from one working quarter to another without investing in your people. If you do not show your employees that you care about their personal development, they will begin to look for someone who will do this.
8. No one gives me positive feedback, so you won’t get it either.
Perhaps such a miser is having his own miser. The lack of gratitude goes down, becomes the norm and makes the person expressing recognition, feel inappropriate. If you want the best talents to leave your company, never thank them for the work they do in your company.
9. No one pays attention to ineptitude
Talented employees are very disappointed when they ignore inept employees. Loafers who continue to receive their wages will be negative for a good performer who appreciates a sense of justice and wants to be surrounded by the same high-class workers. Close your eyes to one rotten apple, and soon your whole garden will rot.
10. We trust but verify
This is not only the slogan of micromanagement, but also its worst manifestation; leaders who say they provide autonomy to their employees, but constantly check, monitor, make suggestions, and evaluate. Micro-management means that talented employees will be macro-fired.