You find the perfect employee. This individual meets all your criteria, checks off all the boxes, and fits perfectly into your organization. You can hardly conceal your excitement to bring this person on board. The feeling seems to be mutual, too, and the first few days, weeks, months go smoothly. But you’re caught completely off guard when one day, your unicorn employee gives notice… or maybe just ghosts out on you. What happened to the employee-employer match made in heaven? No matter how perfect you were for each other, there are plenty of reasons why good employees quit.
Top 5 Reasons Why Good Employees Quit
After you’ve played out in your mind all the possible scenarios, second-guessed every decision, and rehashed every conversation, you must begin your search again. Replacing your unicorn employee might be difficult, but you can keep good employees once you understand why good employees quit.
1. The spark wasn’t there.
You’ve heard it said many times: people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses. The employer-employee relationship needs to be a two-way street. It can’t always be about you, and it can’t always be focused on business. Take some time to get to know your employees, find out what makes them tick, what motivates them and what is important to them. Developing a bond will go a long way.
2. There is no work/life balance.
As an employer, it is important to realize your employees have a life outside of work. A high-intensity workplace needs dedicated employees in order to be successful. However, employees need to be able to focus on the parts of their lives that don’t involve their work. Allowing employees to take time to experience life outside of the office fosters a good balance and keeps them from getting burned out.
3. There is no challenge.
Good employees bring a certain set of skills to your business, no doubt. However, most employees bring more than a skillset to a job – they also bring a desire to learn and grow. This desire is likely why they left their previous position to come to your business. Employees who aren’t challenged and don’t feel they are growing in their careers will look for a reason to leave.
4. There is no trust.
Hovering and micro-managing are sure ways to drive employees away. Trust your employees to perform their duties and make good decisions and allow independence on the job. Failure to do so kills enthusiasm and decreases productivity. Not letting employees advance to other positions in the company is a great way to lose an employee to another job.
5. You ignore them.
When you have a good employee, it’s tempting to just leave them alone to “do their thing.” Employees thrive on feedback, however. When you fail to recognize their efforts and encourage positive behaviors, you leave them wondering if they have any value to your company. Give them attention and recognize positive behaviors in the workplace.
To Keep Good Employees, Be a Great Employer
Being a great employer goes far beyond the benefits package. In-house fitness centers and free lunches are great, but perks are not the reason people stay with a company. Instead, employees react and commit to a company that values their contribution and gives them opportunities to grow in their career. The benefits package is the icing on the cake. The cake, however, is composed of several significant intangibles.
The reasons why good employees quit usually hinge on one central tenet: the relationship between employer and employee. Developing this relationship through feedback, encouragement, and recognition can go a long way toward helping to retain top talent.