What To Do When People Keep Quitting
Sometimes the best efforts at retention fail. Here’s how to understand
why people leave, and what to do about it.
Ever
notice how one person quitting their job can lead to a rush of others out the
door in short order?
Whatever
the reason, says Lisa Sterling, chief people officer at Ceridian, a global
human capital management technology company, managing a team with high
attrition requires internal changes to ensure employees feel satisfied and
engaged, as well as stop further departures that can eat into the bottom line.
The Bureau of National Affairs has estimated that $11
billion is lost annually due to employee turnover.
A
MULTITUDE OF REASONS WHY
To
pinpoint the source of resignations, it helps to check on broader workplace
trends. Surveys suggest that many factors can fester and influence a wave of
people quitting.
Overall,
the latest Gallup report found that a record 47% of the workforce says
now is a good time to find a quality job, and more than half of employees (51%)
are searching for new jobs or watching for openings. Gallup found that
this is due in part to a national employee engagement rate currently hovering at
just 30%.
Workers
also switch employers to get a salary bump that can go above the traditional
annual cost of living raise that hovers around 3%, barely outpacing inflation.
Right Management, ManpowerGroup’s global career and talent development expert,
polled 4,600 workers globally, and found 1 in 5 people are simply in the wrong role.
A new report from Ceridian, based on a survey of
1,602 U.S. and Canadian employees, revealed that even generational differences
are influencing the urge to jump ship. Over a third (33%) of gen-Xers were
actively looking for work versus just 22% of millennials and gen-Z. Those
between the ages of 18-29 did say that they wouldn’t stick with one employer
for more than five years.
While
all these factors can contribute to an exodus, there are likely other
underlying reasons why staff are dissatisfied.
THE
CULTURE QUESTION
Digging
deeper, Mohit Garg, cofounder of the sales training platform MindTickle, says
that millennial loyalty–or lack thereof– is driven by the need to build a
career that resonates with their values and what helps them self-actualize.
“They are looking to work for companies and managers that provide them with
psychological safety to express themselves, transparent communication, a
well-understood path for their learning and growth, and most importantly, to be
accepted for who they are,” Garg explains. If they don’t find this, they’re
likely to leave, says Garg, who believes that culture is more important than
the need for advancement.
Ziprecruiter’s
CEO Ian Seigel, agrees that workplace culture is the biggest and most direct
driver in turnover. But Seigel says they’re looking beyond feedback and clear
communication of opportunities to advance. “Seventy-five percent of millennials want
flexibility that also keeps them on promotion tracks,” Seigel
notes. That’s why he recommends that managers take a closer look at what
motivates their teams, and how to diverge from traditional best practices in
order to retain them.
IS
SILENCE ENCOURAGED?
Recent
news of the firings of high-profile leaders for sexual harassment
and sexism have illuminated just how deeply a “culture of silence” exists
at many companies, even at those with formal systems for reporting bad
behavior.
A
survey from the Boardlist
and Qualtrics found that the vast majority of boards (77%) had
not discussed accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior and/or sexism in
the workplace. Only a few had discussed risks/rewards of company culture that
encourages drinking or partying at work (8%). The reasons? They were focusing
on other things or it didn’t feel like a board-level issue. Unfortunately,
fear of the repercussions of speaking out can lead to turnover.
LISTEN
BEFORE THEY GO
To
figure out whether employees are leaving because of the culture, Fran
Katsoudas, Cisco’s chief people officer, suggests that managers listen and
engage with their team regularly. “If you understand your team dynamics,
the individuals on your team, and their strengths,” she explains, “you will
have a much better lens on what is going well or where there are
challenges.” She encourages leaders to show their vulnerability and take
ownership of what is not working, which is key to getting to the root causes of
people retreating.
Another
way to do this is to use data and analytics. Cisco has a weekly check-in tool,
quarterly surveys, and regular feedback from every monthly and quarterly event.
“When employees know that their manager is regularly listening to them, the
impact is significant,” she says.
Mohit
Garg of MindTickle says this is particularly helpful in larger organizations
where subcultures can form. “Data analytics on attrition by region, department,
or business unit can help highlight hot spots of good and bad by comparing
industry averages and company averages,” he points out. “It is always good to
share the (anonymous) data with the managers on where their team ranks.”
EXIT
INTERVIEWS
Garg
says the last talk with an employee who is leaving needs to be as honest and
open as possible. He advises that it is led by someone who is seen as trusted
and neutral, and with the reassurance that the conversation will be kept
confidential.
Lisa
Sterling at Ceridian says that exit interviews can help managers to understand
why that specific employee is leaving, but engaging the remaining workforce to
understand why they choose to stay can be far more useful, especially when
turnover rates are rising.
Instead
of just interviewing the employees who are leaving, she recommends talking to
those who stay about their work experiences, and get both the positive and
negative takes on working for your company. “Don’t simply ask employees why
they stay,” she cautions, “but probe into what sometimes tempts them to leave,
be it money or career growth or whatever else.”
Managers
should also ask if they are getting any new employee referrals from their team,
suggests Garg. This is consistently the top source of hires, according to the Society of Human Resource
Management. Referrals
are responsible for 30% of all hires overall in 2016, and 45% of internal
hires. If staff are unwilling to recommend the workplace to a friend or
colleague, it can be a red flag, says Garg.
Don’t
be afraid to ask early and often. As common themes emerge, says Sterling,
managers will gain a better sense of the root cause or causes of attrition, and
which factors have the biggest influence on employee flight risk, empowering
them to recognize turnover trends and address issues before they become
unmanageable.
BY LYDIA
DISHMAN
https://www.fastcompany.com/40486006/what-to-do-when-people-keep-quitting?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=7&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=11012017
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