Itâs pretty incredible how often you hear managers complaining about their best employees leaving, and they really do have something to complain about â few things are as costly and disruptive as good people walking out the door.
Managers tend to blame their turnover problems on everything under the sun, while ignoring the crux of the matter: people donât leave jobs; they leave managers.
The sad thing is that this can easily be avoided. All thatâs required is a new perspective and some extra effort on the managerâs part.
First, we need to understand the nine worst things that managers do that send good people packing.
1. They overwork people.
Nothing burns good employees out quite like overworking them. Itâs so tempting to work your best people hard that managers frequently fall into this trap. Overworking good employees is perplexing; it makes them feel as if theyâre being punished for great performance. Overworking employees is also counterproductive.
New research from Stanford shows that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours that you donât get anything out of working more.
If you must increase how much work your talented employees are doing, youâd better increase their status as well. Talented employees will take on a bigger workload, but they wonât stay if their job suffocates them in the process. Raises, promotions, and title-changes are all acceptable ways to increase workload.
If you simply increase workload because people are talented, without changing a thing, they will seek another job that gives them what they deserve.
2. They donât recognize contributions and reward good work.
Itâs easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with top performers who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those who work hard and give their all.
Managers need to communicate with their people to find out what makes them feel good (for some, itâs a raise; for others, itâs public recognition) and then to reward them for a job well done. With top performers, this will happen often if youâre doing it right.
3. They donât care about their employees.
More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to balance being professional with being human.
These are the bosses who celebrate an employeeâs success, empathize with those going through hard times, and challenge people, even when it hurts. Bosses who fail to really care will always have high turnover rates. Itâs impossible to work for someone eight-plus hours a day when they arenât personally involved and donât care about anything other than your production yield.
4. They donât honor their commitments.
Making promises to people places you on the fine line that lies between making them very happy and watching them walk out the door. When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and honorable (two very important qualities in a boss). But when you disregard your commitment, you come across as slimy, uncaring, and disrespectful.
After all, if the boss doesnât honor his or her commitments, why should everyone else?
5. They hire and promote the wrong people.
Good, hard-working employees want to work with like-minded professionals. When managers donât do the hard work of hiring good people, itâs a major demotivator for those stuck working alongside them.
Promoting the wrong people is even worse. When you work your tail off only to get passed over for a promotion thatâs given to someone who glad-handed their way to the topÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ, itâs a massive insult. No wonder it makes good people leave.
6. They donât let people pursue their passions.
Talented employees are passionate. Providing opportunities for them to pursue their passions improves their productivity and job satisfaction. But many managers want people to work within a little box. These managers fear that productivity will decline if they let people expand their focus and pursue their passions.
This fear is unfounded. Studies show that people who are able to pursue their passions at work experience flow, a euphoric state of mind that is five times more productive than the norm.
7. They fail to develop peopleâs skills.
When managers are asked about their inattention to employees, they try to excuse themselves, using words such as âtrust,â âautonomy,â and âempowerment.â This is complete nonsense. Good managers manage, no matter how talented the employee. They pay attention and are constantly listening and giving feedback.
Management may have a beginning, but it certainly has no end. When you have a talented employee, itâs up to you to keep finding areas in which they can improve to expand their skill set. The most talented employees want feedback â more so than the less talented ones â and itâs your job to keep it coming. If you donât, your best people will grow bored and complacent.
8. They fail to engage their creativity.
The most talented employees seek to improve everything they touch. If you take away their ability to change and improve things because youâre only comfortable with the status quo, this makes them hate their jobs. Caging up this innate desire to create not only limits them, it limits you.
9. They fail to challenge people intellectually.
Great bosses challenge their employees to accomplish things that seem inconceivable at first. Instead of setting mundane, incremental goals, they set lofty goals that push people out of their comfort zones.
Then, good managers do everything in their power to help them succeed. When talented and intelligent people find themselves doing things that are too easy or boring, they seek other jobs that will challenge their intellects.
Bringing it all together
If you want your best people to stay, you need to think carefully about how you treat them. While good employees are as tough as nails, their talent gives them an abundance of options. You need to make them want to work for you.
What other mistakes cause great employees to leave? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, âEmotional Intelligence 2.0,â and the cofounder of TalentSmart, the worldâs leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training, serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review.
Read more at http://www.businessinsider.my/why-people-quit-their-jobs-2015-7/#07WsGCBjspYLAdYh.99