Why do employees quit? And what, if anything, can employers do to change their minds?
Not surprisingly, the answers to both questions depend on the specifics of each situation.
The relationship employees have with their immediate supervisors is the No. 1 reason people stay or leave a job, said Ann Simmons Nicholson, owner of Simmons Group, a human resources consulting and training firm in Las Vegas.
“Feeling valued, feeling as though they are learning and feeling listened to” is key, she said.
That’s a constant that hasn’t changed in at least a decade.
“The research has been very consistent,” Nicholson said. “The biggest change in the past 10 years, up until perhaps the past 12 months, is people didn’t feel as though they had any choices. If there was no other job to go to, they may have stuck it out even if they were unhappy. This has begun to change, and it will definitely be a factor with millennials.”
Millennials are less likely than their older colleagues to remain in a situation where their needs are not being met.
Anthony Lai, student affairs program manager at the International School of Hospitality, counsels numerous students training for second careers. They cite a variety of reasons for quitting their former jobs, but chief among them is burnout.
“They often tell me they were overwhelmed with the amount of work their bosses assigned to them, putting greater importance on maximizing productivity and stifling their creativity, which had been what initially made their work rewarding,” Lai said.
Many people don’t mind working demanding jobs, as long as they feel appreciated, said Mike Murphy, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada.
“People stay at a job if there’s an environment where they feel valued and have career-development opportunities,” Murphy said.
It is important that managers foster such an environment and encourage collaboration by being champions for individual and team successes.
“If one does well, the team does well, and all seem vested in each person’s success,” Murphy said.
Evolving technology has changed the landscape.
“With smartphones, we’re in an environment now where people are always checking work emails regardless of the hour or the day,” Murphy said. “But on the flip side, this connectivity gives employees newfound flexibility to balance work and home life.”
Many employers realize how important it is for workers to juggle busy lives, which is why Anthem provides flexible schedules and work-from-home opportunities where it makes sense.
“Our employees consistently say they value this kind of flexibility,” Murphy said. “More than two-thirds of our associates work from home at least one day a week, and 35 percent of Anthem associates are full-time work at home.”
Getting employees to stay
Retaining employees who quit or want to quit takes finesse, aplomb and other skills managers seldom are trained for.
Sharing cold, hard economic truths with employees threatening to leave — for instance, pointing out that they could have a hard time finding another job, be forced to accept a lower salary, lose seniority, get laid off, etc. — can help persuade them to stay. But making it easier for them to achieve success often is a better approach.
“If you see an employee struggling, offer assistance to let them know you care and empathize with their work situation,” Lai said. “Promote a culture that encourages a work-life balance. Employees appreciate bosses who take time out of their busy schedules to simply listen and who are receptive.”
What should bosses avoid?
“When an employee makes a mistake, threatening termination will not help them correct the problem or encourage them to try new approaches,” Lai said. “Recording and documenting every mistake will not make the employee improve.”
Instead, bosses who are good leaders go out of their way to coach struggling employees and praise their improvement.
“This further encourages them to do better,” Lai said.
Business leaders are wise to pay attention to employee satisfaction. Workforce retention can be essential to keeping a company competitive and successful.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield conducts an annual survey to determine employee satisfaction and workplace engagement, and takes the results seriously. Company officials also offer learning and development opportunities to keep workers content.
“We know that many of our associates can best take advantage of learning and development opportunities when they are self-paced and self-scheduled,” Murphy said, which is why Anthem partnered with the College for America at Southern New Hampshire University to offer every employee a free associate or bachelor’s degree.
“It allows enrollees to complete their degree online at an accelerated pace, quickly opening the doors to new, broader roles at work,” he said.
So far, more than 1,200 Anthem associates have enrolled.
“As a manager, you need to have frequent and candid conversations with your employees about their career goals and what their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for advancement are within the organization,” Murphy said. “Don’t mislead your employees in these assessments just so they will stay with the company in the short-term. Eventually it will catch up.”
At Anthem, managers are encouraged to meet quarterly with associates to discuss career goals and objectives.
Nicholson also recommends creating a culture in which management demonstrates the value of their workers.
“Offer managers the training, the time and the support to invest in their teams,” she said.
Nicholson warned against offering more money when someone resigns.
“Once an employee has made the emotional break with a company and had the resignation conversation, even if they stay for more money, statistically, they will be gone in six to 12 months anyway,” Nicholson said. “And money is rarely the reason someone leaves a job. Unless they are leaving for a 25 percent to 30 percent increase, they may say it is for more money, but the real reasons are likely different.”
Nicholson recalled a client who gave an employee a 20 percent raise to stay with the company.
“The individual stayed for almost four more months and spent time during those four months recruiting more people to the new company,” she said.