Retaining great employees is one of the biggest challenges for Human Resources. Talented people are in high demand on the job market. And high performing employees not only demand a lot of themselves, but also from their employers. Find out below what the top reasons are for talented people to quit their job.
• People don’t leave a company, they leave their boss.
More than 50 percent of people who quit their jobs do so because of the relationship with their boss.
It seems that good managers know how to balance being professional with being human. With great bosses you can celebrate wins and talk about your personal goals. A good manager cares and the employee will feel that.
And let’s be honest. A good ‘click’ with your boss will make him or her probably go that extra mile to keep you happy by challenging you or rewarding you. If this is not the case, times will get tough sooner or later. Talented employees who know their worth will go and find a situation where they will find great support.
• Overloading the high performer.
One of the biggest mistakes employers make is to keep pushing their best employees until they crash. It is tempting to involve high performing employees in everything. Motivated employees will eagerly take on the growing responsibilities. But this can result in long hours and even burn outs.
If responsibilities are increased, the status has to be increased as well. If promotions are not giving, good employees will know they will be given what they deserve elsewhere.
And did you know that overworking employees is actually counterproductive? A study by Stanford shows that productivity declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours.
• No space for passion or creativity
Providing the space to pursue passions and apply creativity will improve the job satisfaction for employees. But most companies do not provide this space. Deadlines and targets need to be reached and that leaves no time for a little out-of-the-box exploring. However, research shows people who are able to pursue their passions at work experience flow, a euphoric state of mind that is five times more productive than normal.
• Lack of intellectual challenge
Sure, we all set our annual goals, but talented people need fitting challenges to keep them from becoming bored. A good manager will set goals that push the employee out of their comfort zone. They help them to accomplish something that they would have never thought possible. If not, energy levels will drop and the employee will look for a job that does offer them a real challenge.
• Lack of feedback
Even the most successful employee will have something they could improve. But it happens way too often that managers praise their best employee about how good their work is, and then neglect to give them points of improvement. They don’t give real feedback. This results in the employee not being able to work on themselves and improve their performance.
• Not being given a voice
Talented people, and especially young ones, are full of fresh ideas and creative insights. Companies can benefit greatly from this. Neglecting to listen to them will demotivate them and push them to a company that will listen to them.
• Failing to keep a promise
Smart managers make sure to never make a promise (like a new project or a promotion) to their employees, simply because nothing is ever certain in corporations. Not being able to live up to your promise is deadly. When trust is broken, it’s pretty difficult to keep the talented ones within the company.
Sources of inspiration: Forbes – Victor Lipman, Forbes – Mike Myatt, Linkedin – Travis Bradberry.
