Top 10 Reasons That Good Employees Quit

A recent article on Material Handling Management on-line which noted that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, turnover can cost an organization 33% of an employee’s total compensation was kind enough to summarize the top 10 reasons good employees quit. It’s an important read because they’re all preventable, and keeping good employees not only lowers costs, but it maintains morale … and a happy employee is a productive employee.

  1. The Job Was Not As Expected
    The job changes from the original description to something else. The employee, who believes that his new employer played a bait-and-switch game, wonders what else the company lied about and seeks greener pastures.
  2. Work Life Imbalance
    Forcing your staff to pick up the slack when a project’s behind, when a team-mate departs, or when you just finished a right-sizing might look like a great cost-savings opportunity, until your employees get tired of 60, 70, and 80 plus hour weeks and decide to stick it back to you.
  3. New Hire Mismatch
    Square pegs don’t fit in round holes. ‘Nuff said.
  4. Management Freezes Raises and Promotions
    Generally speaking, money isn’t the top reason someone takes a job or the top reason someone leaves one, but if an employee can earn 15%, 20%, or 25% across the street …
  5. Feeling Undervalued
    No one wants to feel less useful than a door-stop. A little praise for a job well done goes a long way.
  6. Lack of Decision-Making Power
    No one wants to be micro-managed, and there’s no need to micromanage a good employee who was hired because she can do the job better than you in the first place.
  7. Not Enough Coaching/Feedback
    Good employees want a career path … and want help getting to the next level.
  8. Management Lacks People Skills
    Not only do people not want to feel like doorstops, they don’t want to work for them either. Make sure that your managers are properly trained and developed, or they might just cost you your best employees.
  9. Too Few Growth Opportunities
    If there’s no career path within, your employees will look for one without (you).
  10. Lost of Faith and Confidence in Leaders
    Make sure you always do the right thing.