What Makes Good Employees Quit? Part 2

Recap

My last article on this subject revealed that among the top reasons why good people leave their job are lack of respect, trust and autonomy. Good employees want to feel respected by receiving a “Thank You” every now and then. They would also appreciate having the resources required to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently. No one wants to listen to directives and then have the supervisor looking over their shoulder as this demonstrates a lack of trust in one’s abilities. Employees also prefer exercising autonomy and independence. When they feel that they make a difference because of their unique contributions, they tend to stay longer, give their best and maintain enthusiasm about the part they play in the organization. But, there are (unfortunately) many more reasons why good employees quit. Let’s examine a few more of them.

Lack of Appreciation and Recognition

Many good employees keep plugging away despite receiving any type of recognition or appreciation from leadership, the front office or anyone else in the organization. What a shame. While integrity means that we do the right thing while no one is watching, it is also nice to get some feedback and a shout out from the folks in the suits every now and then. Being underpaid is one thing, but adding underappreciation to it is like adding insult to injury. This is not a good place for loyal and effective employees to be in.

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How are good employees underappreciated and unrecognized? They are in many ways. First, receiving no input from leadership or management leaves good people in the dark. Are they doing a good job or not? Second, has leadership promised better compensation or perhaps a bonus and then nothing comes through? This shows a profound lack of care about talented people’s needs. Third, when smart employees offer suggestions, ideas or complaints about the job, policies, procedures, features or functions, do they fall upon deaf ears? This also shows a lack of appreciation about the employee’s intelligence, creativity and desire to make the workplace better.

Allow me to sum this up – lack of appreciation and recognition shows the employer’s values, principles, morals, and ethics – and none of them are good for anyone. Who wants to continue to work hard, smart and make contributions to an organization that ignores their time, gifts and talents?

No Growth or Advancement Opportunities

Many employees, believe it or not, and especially Millennials, are looking for an employer who will value their skills and assist them in developing greater abilities, expand their roles, cross train them and promote them to bigger and better positions. I would even argue that most employees, the good ones anyway, “want” to stay with an employer for a long time, develop genuine relationships, and feel that they are part of something much larger than themselves. If, on the other hand, they don’t have opportunities for growth or advancement, they look for an employee who may be willing to offer these perks.

Where are we going in the near future? Where will the company be five years from now? Will I have an opportunity to rise through the ranks, take on more responsibilities and make more money? Many good employees have these things on their minds. Is there a career path? Will there be training options, managerial opportunities, and greater investments to be made in the employee? If not, bye- bye. God employees want to look into their future and see something of value. They want to work towards that future by learning, growing, advancing and earning more. I would argue that this is what most of us want.

Last Thoughts on What Makes Good Employees Quit

I research all the time on various topics in health care, senior care, leadership, development, and so on. So much of what I see on paper – in articles, books and magazines, and on the Internet – on blogs, websites and so on, just doesn’t translate to the real workplace in many instances. We have a lot of good ideas. There are many theories. But then people get in the way. I would recommend that leadership, supervisors and management get out of their own way and start to see the value that they have right in front of them. There are so many good and great employees out there and all they want is a fair shake. What’s wrong with that? Who doesn’t want to hope for a prosperous future?

What Makes Good Employees Quit – Part 1
What Makes Good Employees Quit – Part 3