The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It's Too Late

257 Pages·2012·1.07 MB·English

by  Leigh Branham

The 7 Hidden Reasons
Employees Leave
Second Edition
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The 7 Hidden Reasons
Employees Leave
Second Edition
How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and
Act Before It’s Too Late
Leigh Branham
American ManagementAssociation
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Branham,Leigh.
The7hiddenreasonsemployeesleave:howtorecognizethesubtlesignsandactbeforeit’s
toolate/LeighBranham.—2nded.
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Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978-0-8144-1758-4
ISBN-10:0-8144-1758-2
1. Laborturnover.2. Employeeretention.3. Jobsatisfaction. I.Title.II.Title:Sevenhidden
reasonsemployeesleave.
HF5549.5.T8B72012
658.3'14—dc23
2012005592
©2012LeighBranham.
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This book is dedicated to the memory of W. Michael Kelly
(1938–2010). Michael was Director of Research at Saratoga Institute
when I first inquired about analyzing Saratoga’s database of post-exit
research. He welcomed my analysis and became my partner.With a
sharp mind and a generous heart,Michael invested countless hours by
phone in helpful and challenging conversations,offering new insights
by e-mail, and critiquing my drafts chapter by chapter. I am deeply
and eternally grateful for his contributions,which live on in this book
and my work. I am glad I was able to finally meet Michael and his
lovely wife,Carol,just months before he died unexpectedly.
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C O N T E N T S
Foreword xi
Chapter 1
WHY CARE ABOUT WHY THEY LEAVE? 1
Why Many Managers Don’t Care 2
Managers Cannot HearWhatWorkersWill Not Speak 3
The Real Costs ofAvoidableTurnover 4
Turnover:Just an Unavoidable“Cost of Doing Business”? 6
Recent History:When theTideTurns,Mindsets Must Change 6
WhatAbout HR’s Role in Exit Interviewing? 9
Chapter 2
HOW THEY DISENGAGE AND QUIT 11
EventsThatTrigger Employee Disengagement 12
The“Last Straw”That Breaks the Employee-Employer Bond 13
TheActive-Seeking Phase of the Departure Process 18
Chapter 3
WHY THEY LEAVE:WHAT THE RESEARCH REVEALS 21
Why Employees SayThey Leave 24
Survey Comments Confirm the Survey Data 25
Have the Reasons for Leaving Changed Since the Great Recession? 27
What the New Data Reveal 29
A Few MoreWordsAbout Pay 33
Respecting the Differences 34
Who Has the Power to MeetThese Needs? 35
The Next Seven Chapters:Hidden Reasons and PracticalAction 35
vii
viii Contents
Chapter 4
REASON #1:THE JOB OR WORKPLACE WAS NOT AS EXPECTED 38
Hidden Mutual Expectations:The Psychological Contract 41
How to Recognize theWarning Signs of Unmet Expectations:
During andAfter the Interview 44
Obstacles to Meeting Mutual Expectations 45
Engagement Practices 1–8:Matching Mutual Expectations 46
How Prospective Employees Can DoTheir Part 51
The Beginning or the End ofTrust 51
Engagement Practice Checklist:
Meeting Expectations 51
Chapter 5
REASON #2:THE MISMATCH BETWEEN JOB AND PERSON 53
What’s Missing—A Passion for Matching 55
Recognizing the Signs of Job-Person Mismatch 58
Most Common Obstacles to Preventing and Correcting
Job-Person Mismatch 58
Engagement Practices for Matching Job and Person 59
Best Practices forTalent Selection 60
Best Practices for Engaging and Re-EngagingThrough JobTask
Assignment 68
Best Practices for Job Enrichment 70
The Employee’s Role in the Matching Process 72
Engagement Practices Checklist:
Job-Person Matching 73
Chapter 6
REASON #3:TOO LITTLE COACHING AND FEEDBACK 75
Why Coaching and FeedbackAre Important to Engagement and
Retention 77
Why Don’t Managers Provide Coaching and Feedback? 78
Recognizing the Signs 79
MoreThan an Event:It’sAbout the Relationship 80
Engagement Practices for Coaching and Giving Feedback 82
What the Employee Can Do to Get More Feedback and
Coaching 94
Engagement Practices Checklist:
Coaching and Feedback 96
CONTENTS ix
Chapter 7
REASON #4:TOO FEW GROWTH AND ADVANCEMENT
OPPORTUNITIES 98
WhatTheyAre Really Saying 100
Employers of Choice Start by Understanding the
New Career Realities 102
Recognizing the Signs of Blocked Growth and Career Frustration 104
Best Practices for Creating Growth andAdvancement Opportunities 106
What Employees Can Do to CreateTheir Own Growth and
Advancement Opportunities 122
Engagement Practices Checklist:
Growth andAdvancement Opportunities 123
Chapter 8
REASON #5: FEELING DEVALUED AND UNRECOGNIZED 126
Why ManagersAre Reluctant to Recognize Employees’Efforts 130
Recognizing the SignsThat Employees Feel Devalued and
Unrecognized 131
Pay:The Most Emotional Issue ofAll 132
Pay PracticesThat Engage and Retain 133
What Employees Can Do to Be MoreValued and
Better Recognized 152
Engagement Practices Checklist:
Feeling Devalued and Unrecognized 153
Chapter 9
REASON #6: STRESS FROM OVERWORK AND
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE 156
How Big a Problem Is Stress? 158
Causes of Increased Stress 159
SignsThatYourWorkers May Be Stressed Out or Overworked 160
Healthy versusToxic Cultures 161
MoreThan Just the RightThing to Do 162
HowThree of the Best Places inAmerica toWork Do It 164
WhatThese Employers Have in Common 166
You’re Not Competing Just with the“Big Boys” 166
What the Employee Can Do to Relieve Stress and Overwork 181
Engagement Practices Checklist:
Overwork andWork-Life Imbalance 183