The reasons staff leave & retention

The reason staff leave

I’ve been in recruitment a wee while now……..how experienced that makes me depends on what you class as ‘wee’. It’s always interesting when you ask candidates why they are leaving, or why they left their previous employer – this information is  purely anecdotal, however it is based on keeping my eyes and ears to the ground.

First point – very rarely do people seem to leave a company just for more money.

In no particular order the top reasons people give for leaving.

Advancement: If there aren’t opportunities to grow and advance, people can get bored or feel stuck in the same place.  For some people a defined career path keeps them motivated.

Recognition: Everyone likes to feel appreciated.  Sometimes it is as simple as remembering to tell someone they are doing a good job and making sure they are included in any decision making that impacts on their work, these things make people feel more engaged.  A monetary bonus can help at times.

Flexible working hours: For some it’s as simple as not wanting to sit in the rush hour traffic, or having to pick a child up from their caregivers.  For companies that have vehicles needing to be out at a certain time, or they are dealing with other countries in different time zones you may need people at certain times of the day – for others flexibility around hours can offer a huge benefit to employees.

Work environment: This unfortunately isn’t always an easy fix.  People that spend a lot of their week together may not always click, or can have issues.  Companies can help by having good systems in place to deal with disputes, team building activities and management with an ‘open door’ attitude.

Of course some people do leave for more money alone and there will always be people that will follow a manager or simply leave when their manager does as they don’t cope with change, there are also those with family issues or who are simply travelling.
If you have someone you want to retain and they are thinking of leaving, it could be worth digging a bit deeper into their reason why.  🙂  Food for thought.