This article first appeared in the June, 2004 edition of the Jacksonville Business Journal
Every company has turnover. And sometimes it's a good thing. New employees bring fresh ideas. They shake things up. Sometimes a resignation causes you to examine whether you want to refill that position and what skills you will need for the future.
But losing a valued employee can also be very painful. Most companies want to learn why they lose good employees. They monitor turnover levels, make sure their compensation systems are competitive and conduct exit interviews.
What Employees Don't Tell You
The problem is that most employees don't tell you why they are REALLY leaving. They don't want to "get anyone else into trouble" or make waves. They don't want to burn any bridges. So they provide reasons that we accept on face value.
Employee surveys have identified a few key reasons why employees leave a company that far outnumber all the others. They're worth knowing, because they can be prevented.
The number one cause of resignations is the employee's immediate supervisor. Most employees don't leave their companies; they leave their bosses. And the reason usually has to do with employees feeling that they are not treated with basic respect. They do not believe their bosses listen to them or ask for their input. They do not think they are given the freedom to do their jobs. They feel "micro-managed." These are the primary reasons why people flee a work environment. When turnover remains consistently high in a department, you often have a problem supervisor.
The number two reason for resignation is lack of opportunity. If employees believe they are dead-ended, they will start to look for greener pastures. If no one ever asks them about their career goals, they believe that no one cares about their future. If they become so good at a particular task and then asked to do the same thing over and over again they become afraid that they will lose their skills. When this situation develops, you have an employee at risk.
The third cause is lack of recognition. Everyone wants to be acknowledged. Everyone wants to be told when they've done a good job. Everyone wants to be appreciated. Employees even prefer negative feedback to no feedback at all. Yet, most companies provide very little feedback and even less recognition. They assume that employees know they are doing a good job, and are appreciated. But the reverse is true. When employees receive no recognition, they assume they are being taken for granted.
Prevention is the Best Cure
Once an employee submits a resignation, it is not likely you will turn the situation around. There are rare occasions when a change in role, responsibilities, manager, or compensation can solve the problem. But more often than not, the fix is temporary and does not last beyond six months. People leave with their hearts and minds long before their feet follow. You may turn feet around but it is much harder to recapture hearts.
There are a few guidelines that will significantly reduce employee turnover, and also provide early warning signals in time to take preventive action.
Rule One - Ask questions and listen. Employees will not talk about their concerns unless you ask them. The feedback environment must be "safe" without any consequences for what they might say. There are a variety of techniques available. Some companies use employee surveys regularly - analyze the results and take action. Others have employee focus groups, using neutral third parties as facilitators. Some companies use "skip level" meetings with higher level managers. Mentoring and coaching systems also promote communications and feedback.
Rule Two - Pay attention to every employee's career goals. Make sure they receive the experience or training to continue their learning. Move them around for varied experience. Movement does not always have to be up the pyramid...especially in a flat organization. Re-assignments, variety, new experiences all add to skills and knowledge. New work assignments expand employee skills and increase company bench strength.
Rule Three - Look for good performance. When you see it, say it. A few words of recognition and praise go a very long way. Be as specific as possible so employees know what they did well. They're more likely to do it again. Positive feedback and appreciation can have a profound impact.
Studying exit interviews is good learning about the past. Listening and responding to employee comments while they are still on your team is even better.
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