Despite the recession, plenty of employees are still voluntarily leaving their jobs. The current rate of 2.5 million a month is the peak of a steady rise that began in 2009.
Even though the economy is tough, employees' expectations and tolerances are changing. As the military drawdown continues, there will be an even greater influx of new professionals in the next few years, which means employers will need to address these issues now or suffer later.
A worker who quits not only runs the risk of decreasing morale, it can cost the company half their yearly salary just to acquire and properly train a replacement. To avoid these missteps, check out the top five reasons someone might quit their jobs, according to ValueWalk.
1. The Manager
One of the simplest reasons an employee may quit is because they conflict with their manager in some way. Because managers have direct oversight, they can be what makes or breaks an employee's experience at work, including productivity and well-being.
Not all bad managers are created equal, and there are a few reasons why they might not be conducive to hard-working and productive employees. Micromanaging bosses are never welcomed; they stifle creativity and tend to be easily provoked.
However, absentee managers are equally ineffective, because they tend to fail in motivating their employees. Other managerial failures include providing unclear expectations and giving employees unrealistically large workloads.
2. Bad Fit
Sometimes, despite getting past a battery of interviews, employees feel as though they're a bad fit for the company. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but each one is equally detrimental. An employee sometimes may feel like their job description does not accurately reflect the work they're doing, or that they weren't given the proper resources to complete their assignments.
Furthermore, some employees took a position to see whether they'd enjoy a change in careers. While potentially frustrating for employers, these employees may simply find that they do not enjoy a new type of work.
3. Other Employees
Employees are a major component of the workplace environment. Even a boring or difficult job can be tolerable, even enjoyable, with the right co-workers. Conversely, toxic employees can do just as much harm.
If you have employees who gossip or are otherwise difficult to work with, some people may decide wrangling with them isn't worth their while. It's also possible that some workers will feel slighted if their colleagues are getting some type of special attention and their own accomplishments are being ignored.
4. Lack of Connection
Even if an employee has no overt issues with their manager or co-workers, they may feel like they lack a connection with the company. Sometimes this is due to a clash of ideas between the employee and the company.
But more often than not, it's because an employee doesn't feel like they have a clear idea of where they fit in the company and how they can get ahead. If employees aren't told what they can do to improve their value and reach for higher positions, they may decide that their career won't be helped by staying with the company for too long.
5. Salary and Benefits
Reasonable earnings and benefits are basic expectations for any employee, and skimping on them will sharply decrease morale and make retaining workers difficult.
However, employees are increasingly reporting that they value work-life balance more than in previous years. Sticking to rigid schedules may drive some workers away. Many employees these days aren't expecting to work fewer hours, but they would prefer greater leeway in when they work and where from.
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