I have always thought the reasons why employees quit are obvious. All of us are, or at one time, have been employees and we know our reasons for departure likely mirror others. A desire for more pay and a better boss are the commonly accused culprits for employees jumping ship but they aren’t the only reasons. Fortunately, if your head is buried in the sand and you truly don’t know why your subordinates left, the gurus of the HR and recruiting world have posted volumes online to help you recognize your shortcomings. Below are a few lists. All reasons, as I evaluate them, can be grouped into two categories; boss problems and job problems.
From BalanceCareers.com
Poor relationship with the boss – Boss problem
Bored and unchallenged by the work itself – Boss problem
Poor relationships with coworkers – Boss problem
Few opportunities to use their skills and abilities – Job problem
Employees don’t feel connected to the mission – Boss problem
Need for autonomy and independence on the job – Boss problem
Meaningfulness of the Employee’s job – Job problem
Lack of knowledge about your organization’s financial stability – Boss problem
Corporate culture – Boss problem
Management’s lack recognition of employee job performance – Boss problem
From Forbes contributor – Liz Ryan
Tired of arguing their position – Boss problem
Tired of being overlooked – Boss problem
Don’t have faith in their leaders – Boss problem
Exhausted – Boss problem
Fed up with internal politics – Boss problem
Have big ideas their company won’t implement – Boss problem
Want to move up faster – Boss problem
Want to change career paths – Job problem
Want to work for themselves – Job problem
Forbes contributor – Jack Altman – CEO of Lattice
Bad managers – Boss problem
Can make more money changing jobs – Boss problem
No growth opportunities – Job problem
Don’t outline a clear career path – Boss problem
HR digest
Lack of recognition – Boss problem
Lack of job training – Boss problem
Lack of trust – Boss problem
Poor relationship at work – Boss problem
Excess workload and dumb work policies – Boss problem
Direct recruiters.com
Job was not what was expected – job problem
Work/Life imbalance – job/boss problem
Mismatch between job and new hire – boss problem
No raise or promotions – boss problem
Feeling undervalued – boss problem
No decision-making power – boss problem
Too little coaching – boss problem
Management lacks people skills – boss problem
Too few growth opportunities – job problem
Loss of faith and confidence in corporate leaders – boss problem
Entrepreneur
Low compensation – job problem
No advancement opportunity – boss problem
Relationships with co-workers and managers – boss problem
Job security – job problem
Pursue other opportunities – job problem
Candidates, as we know, use entry-level jobs as temporary stepping stones to further their careers and depart when new opportunities providing greater compensation or advancement present themselves. These “job problems” are typical and often unavoidable at every organization because no room for growth is available and an organization has no option but to watch their baby birds fly away.
Most of the problems above are not related to salary or growth however. They are boss problems. A good manager must understand that employee turnover has as much to do with their own inadequacies as the shortcomings of the job. Managers who exercise self-awareness are likely to see fewer birds fleeing the nest.