Five Reasons Employees Leave

That heart sinking question: “Can I have a word?” Followed by one of your employees handing you a resignation letter. Frustrated? Disappointed? Muttering swear words under your breath? Yes, it’s happened to us all and usually at one of the most stressful and busiest times of the year.

Employee turnover is expensive, so companies need to increase retention, especially highly skilled and valued employees who are harder to replace. We’ve summarised five common reasons why employees choose to leave a company and some useful advice for you to take away:

1. Lack of recognition

Employees aren’t asking to be praised for everything they do but they need to be appreciated. Recognition, compensation and encouragement will increase positivity. You are much more likely to retain happy employees who will be less likely to seek positions elsewhere or with a competitor.

Did you know?

The most successful companies have benefits packages for their employees.

2. Inadequate holidays

If you only have a few valuable employees, you might be reluctant to encourage them to take time off but taking holiday will assist in preventing fatigue. It will help your employees to achieve more and be more productive in the long-term.

Heavy workloads can decrease productivity and, as a result, staff retention.

Did you know?

Paid holidays have been proven to increase employee productivity, performance, and job satisfaction.

3. Lack of support

Changing management and a lack of support are common reasons for employee resignations. If companies don’t seek employee opinions on improvements and what they are doing well, the company could make a risky change with a negative impact on valuable employees.

Did you know?

Respected leaders have teams who aspire to be like them, for them to work to their full potential, you need to connect with and support them.

4. Outdated technology

Outdated technology and equipment can cause employee frustration and inefficiencies. By ensuring you are upgrading on a regular basis, you can foster increased productivity and happiness from your best workers.

Did you know?

Regularly updating your tech is likely to be cheaper than going through the recruitment and training process again.

5. Setting unrealistic goals

Goals and clear objectives are key to boosting morale amongst employees, ensuring they are challenged and interested. Unrealistic targets can be counterproductive, creating a culture where failure becomes:

• excusable
• acceptable
• expected

To avoid this, you should ensure that you are setting clear goals which are specific and measurable, ensuring you have the resources to achieve them.

Did you know?

Great employers acknowledge that people are motivated by fully achieving challenging goals on a regular basis.

Making employee satisfaction a priority isn’t always the easiest or most comfortable task; you will need to invest time and money but it’s a worthwhile investment. The happier your employees are, the more productive they will be – the recipe for a successful organisation.

For further employee retention advice, see our development and retention resources.