I’ve personally witnessed employees who were desperate to leave their job and I’m one of them. Others may think “Why would he want to quit? He’s got a good job.” so on and so forth. It’s not just about the title or money, it’s also about feeling fulfilled in the company you are working for.
Some people may choose to leave a company for other personal reasons, but here are some of the top reasons why good employees leave their job.
1. Bad boss driving good employees to leave
Working for a bad boss would probably be one of the top reasons why someone would want to quit their job. Being treated like dirt, unappreciated, or in some cases humiliated. Who would want to stay in their job?
Employees want to work for someone who can lead them and not someone who just bosses them around. Someone willing to teach them things they don’t know and not someone who likes making people think they’re stupid. Some bosses don’t like to admit if they made a mistake, rather, they would think of an excuse to make you feel that you were the one who did something wrong.
2. Lack opportunity for professional growth
You develop familiarity with all your tasks and responsibilities when you work at the same job for a long time but doing the same things over and over makes tasks daunting. Employees aren’t mindless robots. Most people want to learn something new, something that could enhance their skills.
Some employers even offer reimbursements for continuing education, such as seminars, workshops, and lectures. If a company can’t or refuses to provide professional growth, employees tend to feel neglected and try to look for a company who can provide it elsewhere.
Employees will stay if they can feel reassured that the company cares for their professional growth and they have a future at their workplace.
3. Not being appreciated or recognized making them feel undervalued
When an employee does a great job like meeting quotas or deadlines in time, or raising the company’s sales, they would usually want some kind of recognition for their work. Giving out rewards like a performance bonus for example would be a great way to not only show your appreciation but motivate your employees to do even better next time. However, it would do the opposite if you’re making it difficult for them to complete such tasks like adding more quotas or work. It’s like suddenly changing the route when they’re almost at the finish line.
It doesn’t always have to be a certificate, gift, or money. Making them feel like an integral part of the company by praising them or giving positive feedback is a great way to motivate them. Saying something simple like, “Thank you for your hard work.” will do the trick. But of course, it needs to be genuine. An employee can easily distinguish real vs fake appreciation.
An employee who feels ignored may seek value somewhere else, such as a new job, if he or she is unappreciated at work. Always give credit where credit is due, especially to hard-working employees to make them feel more valued.
4. No sign of respect
As the saying goes “respect begets respect.” Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you can treat people poorly and expect them to still give you the same level of respect as they did before. You must reciprocate the gesture to receive genuine respect whether they’re in front of you or not.
5. Poor management
Some managers tend to micromanage their team and everything they do. This will not only make employees feel that they constantly need guidance and can’t decide on their own but will also create a more stressful work environment.
Be there to support them in case they need you, but never assume that they will fail right at the beginning. An employer or manager should learn to trust their employees and give them the opportunity to figure things out for themselves.
6. Work burnout
What started as an exciting job opportunity eventually turned you into feeling burnt out from work after several years of grueling stress and pressure. Always working overtime to meet deadlines, back-to-back meetings, and endless calls especially beyond working hours are just some of the reasons why employees become exhausted and decide to look for a new job.
Employees desire work-life balance where they can spend time for themselves, their family, and their friends. Taking that time away from them will only leave them drained and stressed out and look for a new job that values employees’ personal time.
7. Toxic work culture
Every company has a different kind of work culture, it can either be casual or professional. Whatever it may be, employees would most likely pick a work environment they feel the most comfortable working with. Although some have no choice but to work at whichever company accepted them or made the job offer without really accessing the company itself. For employees who are the latter, realizing that the company culture does not align with them may come as a shock.
Not allowing flexible scheduling and telecommuting opportunities where work can obviously be done at home, office politics where employers or managers have clear favoritism over other employees, abuse of power by the management, among others, are just some of the things that make the work environment toxic. This makes going to work a dreadful experience and employees feeling unmotivated.
8. Isn’t paid well enough
There are two types of companies: 1.) recognizes your skills and contributions to the company in return gives you a raise, especially if they give you additional tasks and 2.) recognizes your skills and what you can do for the company, gives you additional tasks to work on without giving a proper raise and expects you to just be a “yes-man”. Some even give false promises of a future promotion if you do what they ask. If you are the former then don’t expect that your employees will stay long.
Employees who are underpaid tend to be underproductive and unmotivated. However, keep in mind that not all resignations are motivated by money. There are several underlying factors that may affect their decision to leave their job and uncovering these reasons is necessary to retain an employee.
9. Absurd rules
It’s a given that companies need to set rules in order for the business to work smoothly. But implementing stupid ones would be counter productive and not to mention, would drive employees insane.
Let me give your some examples of absurd rules that I personally experienced in my previous jobs:
- Not being allowed to go behind my boss when she’s working, so my colleagues and I can’t get our files in the room behind her unless she leaves.
- Being asked to wear a hairnet, even though we work at an office and not a kitchen, because our male boss didn’t hire a janitor at first and hated seeing hair on the floor.
To be honest, most employees don’t really want to quit their job. Searching for a new one is a daunting task. But employees are pushed to start job hunting because of the things that are mentioned above that have built up over time.
Do you have a story to tell? Other reasons why good employees leave their job? Feel free to leave a comment below. You can also follow Striving Millennial on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for other posts and updates.
