The 7 Hidden Reasons Your Employees Leave You

People are four times more likely to leave a job because of something going on in the office than for an outside opportunity. Based on research performed by the prestigious Saratoga Institute, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave offers real solutions to help leaders overcome the costly problem of employee turnover. The book examines the factors that contribute to turnover--such as manager relationships, lack of trust in senior leadership, company culture, salary, and benefits--and teaches readers how to navigate these obstacles and avoid them in the first place. You’ll learn skills such as aligning employee expectations with the realities of the position, avoiding job-person mismatches, and providing feedback and coaching that breed employee confidence. Now incorporating results from author Leigh Branham’s “Decision to Leave” post-exit survey, the second edition features new research in employee engagement as well as innovative best practices for retaining employees in a down economy. By revealing what can be done to hold on to the people who provide the most value to the organization, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave helps leaders increase their teams’ morale, productivity--and the company’s bottom line. Leigh Branham (2012)

The data identified seven “hidden reasons” employees resign. Here are those reasons.

1) Job not as expected. This is a prime reason for early departures. Branham’s answer: “Give a realistic job preview to every candidate.”

2) Job doesn’t fit talents and interests. Branham attributes this to hasty hiring, and advises employers to “hire for fit. Match their talents to your needs.”

3) Little or no feedback/coaching. Today’s employees, and especially the younger workers, want “feedback whenever I want it, at the touch of a button.” Give it honestly and often, says Branham, and you’ll get job commitment, not just compliance.

4) No hope for career growth. The antidote: Provide talent self-management tools and training.

5) Feel devalued and unrecognized. Money issues appear here, says Branham, but the category also includes even more employees who complained that no one ever said ‘thanks’ on the job or listened to what they had to say. Address the compensation issue with a system that’s fair and understandable, says Branham. Then listen – and respond – to employee input. “Also, ask yourself ‘how many of my employees get too much recognition?’” 

6) Feel overworked and stressed out. Branham says this comes from insufficient respect in the organization for the life/work balance of employees. Recommended: Institute a “culture of giving” that meets employees’ total needs.

7) Lack of trust or confidence in leaders. Leaders have to understand that they’re there to serve employees’ needs, says Branham, not the other way around. Develop leaders who care about and nurture their workers, and trust and confidence will develop as well.

References

7-Hidden-Reasons-Employees (online) Available at https://www.scribd.com/book/375130516/The-7-Hidden-Reasons-Employees-Leave-How-to-Recognize-the-Subtle-Signs-and-Act-Before-It-s-Too-Late

Branham L. , (2012) Leigh Branham. American Management Association, at New York  [Online]
Available at www.amacombooks.org, Accessed on 31st Aug 2012