Employee Retention: Answering Why Employees Leave their Jobs

Why Good Employees Leave Their Jobs

A 2018 study of 1,000 U.S. workers found that 63% of them want to leave their jobs due to lack of communication in the organization. Due to the sheer volume of interaction, the level of communication that employees receive directly affects their ability to their jobs, which plays an important role in how long they remain at a job.

Management Issues

two men talking at desk about employee retention

While work leaders continue searching for answers to high turnover rates, the answers aren’t too far away. In fact, according to a study by BambooHR, two of the top five reasons employees quit placed blame directly on supervisors.

Employees surveyed cited lack of trust from their boss and the boss blaming an employee for mistakes as key factors in their eventual decision to quit. Consequently, supervisors who micromanage or who are unavailable for help and guidance can be added to the list of reasons why some employees seek other employment.

Some of the most commonly cited managerial actions that lead good employees to search for work elsewhere are:

  • Overworking their employees
  • Lack of recognition
  • Lack of concern for employee well-being
  • Failure to follow through with commitments
  • Hiring and promoting the wrong employees

Professional leadership that highlights employee strengths while addressing and improving weaknesses is an example of the type of effective employee retention techniques that show employees they are an integral part of an organization’s structure and success. A thoughtful, caring managerial attitude reassures employees that they are on a meaningful career path.

Coworker Conflicts

One of the most often cited reasons people quit their jobs involves workplace conflicts with coworkers and managers. These conflicts cause tensions in the office to rise and many employees to feel uncomfortable with the negative work environment.

Examples include:

  • Colleagues who refuse to share credit for project success
  • Colleagues who continually ask for help
  • Employee Bullying
  • Sexual harassment
  • Workplace Gossip

While workplace competition may be common in certain industries, an unhealthy approach can lead to unnecessary conflicts. Similarly, poor communication between coworkers can build-up the tension which can affect everyone in the department or company.LEGO minifigure despaired at desk

What Managers Can Do

Employee retention remains critical when it comes to reducing hiring and training costs. Furthermore, promoting good employees from within the organization helps to establish and maintain quality performance. Instead of alienating coworkers from each other, an astute manager will use employee retention strategies like these:

  • Communicating a clear company mission
  • Breed transparency in the workplace
  • Encourage employees to ask questions and try new things
  • Consider a flexible blend of work and personal time

Managers who support their employees’ growth and development within the organization and who cultivate a positive work environment are more likely to retain valuable employees. As a result, employee retention techniques should be readily implemented to reduce turnover and maximize productivity.

Human Relations in Business are vital to an organization’s overall efficiency. For more information on recruiting, hiring, and training employees who will stay, check out online training courses offered by KnowledgeCity.

Previous Post
Next Post
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Join 80,000+ Fellow HR Professionals. Get expert recruiting and training tips straight
to your inbox, and become a better HR manager.

Select which topics to subscribe to: