You’ve probably attended many ‘leaving’ or ‘farewell’ drinks in recent months. Whatever you call them, these are not fun events that we look forward to because often we’re saying goodbye not just to coworkers, but also to friends and valuable team members.
People have always resigned, and they always will. It’s part of the way the economy works and it’s how organisations renew their talent pool. In recent months, however, we’ve seen a tidal wave of resignations. Every day someone handles a resignation letter to their manager. Someone is probably doing it as I’m writing this article.
5 reasons why people leave
The pandemic forced people to rethink what is really important and reminded many of us that we have to take chances and shouldn’t fear new opportunities.
Reasons, why people leave, vary, but these are some of the most common – and they could help you learn how to keep employees from quitting.
1. They don’t feel engaged
There are many benefits of employee engagement. Boosted productivity, lowered attrition and better customer service are just a few to mention.
When employees see so many other team members leaving they might consider looking for other opportunities as well. But if they feel engaged and aligned with the company values, there is a good chance they won’t quit.
2. Poor management
Often people are promoted based on their technical knowledge and expertise, and not because of their people management skills. Unfortunately, just because someone is fantastic at working with multiple pieces of software, it doesn’t mean they have the qualities to lead a team yet.
The good news is that organisations can set their managers for success by providing the right tools and training. Invest in your manager and you might also see a higher level of engagement and boosted morale.
3. No room to grow
A new study revealed that progression is considered more important than pay. 82% of the survey participants are saying that lack of progression would influence their decision to leave their jobs. If people feel that their career path isn’t going as planned and they are not using their full potential they might feel tempted to look elsewhere.
One way to support them is to offer regular performance reviews. Make sure to set goals, clear steps ahead, and a deadline that isn’t too far in the future. And, of course, don’t forget to check on their progress regularly and to offer help. When an employee quits, this is even more of a priority.
4. No regular check-ins
One-to-one meetings are important. As we previously discussed if people have them they’re 3x more likely to be engaged. These sessions also help to boost productivity and profits and reduce turnover – as 80% of leavers cited the lack of 121s as their main reason for quitting.
One-to-ones might not be the best way to collect feedback but they are still very important and show your employees that you care about them. And if you worry that your people don’t feel comfortable discussing difficult topics try using a survey.
Whatever form of communication you choose, it’s better than nothing.
5. No flexibility in the work policies
Let’s face it – people want flexibility. This doesn’t just mean working from home but also flexible working hours and the option to work from anywhere.
According to research, 39% of UK businesses use it to attract top-performing talent and it was identified as a key initiative. Not only this, but flexible working hours can also help improve talent retention because staff are more satisfied overall.
How to look after the people who stay?
Waves of constant turnover can lower productivity and make your people wonder if the grass is greener elsewhere. It can also make them question the company’s transparency, especially if leaders don’t talk about the problem openly.
1. Build trust
The only way to build trust is to create an honest conversation with your employees. Talk to them, ask questions and listen to their concerns. Feedback can be a powerful tool for change and it will help you to understand how your people are doing and what changes could be made so you retain them for as long as it’s possible.
2. Be receptive
Receiving honest feedback sometimes means accepting negative comments. It’s important to be receptive to whatever your employees have to say. It might be hard to listen and there might be many challenges ahead of you in order to really find a solution to people’s problems but by taking action you’ll be one step closer to building a more resilient organisation.
3. Acknowledge the problem
If you want your employees to trust you, acknowledge the problem. Knowing how to deal with employee resignation is crucial. Losing staff affects everyone in the company and that’s why it’s crucial to talk to your people. Be transparent about the challenges that the organisation is facing.
For bigger companies, 1-2-1s are not an option as they are going to be too time-consuming. So when it comes to how to inform staff of employee resignation, a ‘company update’ meeting could be a good option to talk to the entire organisation but bear in mind that many people are going to feel uncomfortable asking questions so don’t forget to remind them that you’re open for a conversation afterwards.
4. Take actions
If your words are not followed by action people won’t trust you. Take the feedback and start to work on your strategy. The implementation can take time but if you give regular updates your employees will know that their opinion matters and you’ll have a better chance to keep them for longer.
How Qlearsite can help your organisation
We know that creating an honest conversation can be hard and often people don’t have the confidence to express their real concerns during face-to-face meetings. This is where a survey could help.
With our platform, you can send a survey fast and easy and get meaningful insights.