Top 3 Reasons Why Employees Quit

Attracting and retaining top talent has become an increasing challenge for even the most seasoned CEO. With employees valuing intangible benefits like workplace culture, learning opportunities, and corporate sustainability when considering a new position, the landscape of how to retain employees is changing. According to the top CEO professional development coaches and CEO peer consultants, here are the top three reasons why your employees may be looking to quit.

1. Poor leadership from the top. Employees want managers who are effective communicators and leaders. Bad managerial habits like being a micromanager or being “too hands off” can signal to employees that they don’t have the support they need to thrive in their current roles. Inconsistency in leadership is often a common complaint among employees, where supervisors and executives do not fairly implement processes, procedures, rewards, or consequences. This is where investing time to get to know your employees is key in understanding your team dynamics and how you can best support each personality and work preference.
2. Employees don’t feel appreciated. How often do you acknowledge or celebrate successes? If you don’t do it monthly, then it is time to start recognizing your top performers for their work and contributions to the company. When employees don’t feel valued, they can easily start to disconnect and seek other employment. We all want to know that our contributions are making a difference and not going unnoticed. Making a concerted effort to include employees in the decision-making process can also be an effective way to signal that their opinions, ideas, and concerns matter. Engaging your teams in frequent brainstorming sessions is another way to emphasize that their work has value and their contributions are important in shaping the trajectory of the business.
3. Limited to no room for advancement. In today’s competitive marketplace, employees understand that they must continually learn and add to their current skill set. Whether you offer a training stipend for employees to spend on attending conferences, provide in-house professional development, or reimburse employees for purchasing books or other resources to expand their knowledge – showing employees that you care about their career advancement is important. Employees, especially those in entry and mid-level positions want to be able to have higher level positions to be promoted to, that also come with both a prestigious title and appropriate compensation. When you offer limited advancement opportunities, employees will naturally outgrow their positions and move on to other companies that can better support their professional development and long-term career goals.

These are just a few of a variety of reasons why employees may be seeking other employment options. To get a more thorough understanding of the key factors that may be contributing to your employee attrition, conducting exit interviews with employees leaving your company may provide further insight that can help you reshape your company culture. The key is to invest in your employees and build a cohesive community that is able to meet their professional development needs while also giving them opportunities to see their contributions come to fruition. What other reasons have you found that contribute to employees leaving your organization? Share your ideas and insights with us on Facebook.