5 Reasons Employees Leave and Why They Never Tell You.
I wrote this as part of the Year-End reflection. Employees come and they go. In a weird sense, it seems like they do carry a springboard with them wherever they go. However, is it true that they never leave clues about their intent to leave? Or … we never listened?
This is the time of the year when people materialize their decision to part ways with their companies. It hinges on the bonus. The day after the payout can be rather interesting.
I had a rather good story told by a good friend of mine, a fellow entrepreneur. He said that he had a bumper year (that was 2019), and he paid out 3 months equivalent of a cash bonus as a reward to his employees.
He thought they would be happy. He thought they would stay to fight along with him.
That didn’t happen. He received a stack of resignation letters.
Now, this is the fun part. He spoke to every single one of them who is serving their notice period. No one said they were unhappy with the job, with the company, or with him.
Everyone gave him the politically correct horses**t that it is time for them to move on. He shrugged his shoulders as he was telling the story.
And then he finally got a glimpse of the real story when he spoke to the final “resignee” on his list. My friend brought her out for coffee, and she spilled the beans.
For the sake of simple reference, I shall call her “Sally”.
It was a long story, so I am breaking it down into 5 simple points.
Why I Am Leaving # 1 — You Never Listen.
Sally mentioned that he was too obsessed with revenue and profit growth. When she tried to explain why project progress is delayed, he brushed her off.
She maintained her professional decorum even though it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. She felt that he was never able to really listen to the issues on the ground.
That translated to “having no support from the executive team.”.
Why I Am Leaving # 2 — It Is All About You.
Not the company, not the projects, not the people.
It was all about him (referring to my friend). The company is fast-paced because my friend moves very quickly. As leaders, we set the pace. Everyone operates on Gear 5 when the leader operates on Gear 5.
Sally was okay with the rate of change. Not her team members. They needed time to adapt. And before they could, he has moved on to the next change.
While Sally’s team member did not adapt fast enough to the first change before the second one was implemented, she had to adjust herself to a dynamic founder and a slow-and-steady team.
In short, she was in distress.
This circles back to Point # 1. She tried to tell my friend, and he didn’t listen.
Why I Am Leaving # 3 — You Don’t Respect My Time.
This one is easy.
My friend is extremely competitive. Sally isn’t. Sally’s team isn’t.
Although Sally can cope with Gear 5 at work, it was Gear 5 at work only. Her true nature isn’t about acceleration. She believes in Me-Time and needs to disengage.
Her biggest stress comes after working hours when she receives my friend’s What’s App voice message notification on her smartphone.
Why I Am Leaving # 4 — You Demotivate Me.
This is apparently a big one. Even I learned from this.
Sally mentioned that the biggest source of demotivation comes from my friend and not the clients. There are many times where re-work has to be done because my friend rejected it. They had to redo even though the client accepted the work.
When I asked my friend why he did that, he said that his personal reputation is on the line.
I understand why Sally and her team are sick and tired of my friend.
Why I Am Leaving # 5 — You Don’t Tell Us Anything.
Sally mentioned this right at the end.
I can sense her anger. She was designated as the point person to liaise with the client in terms of project deliverables. There were many times when the client refused to speak to her.
When she probed, they said this.
“Alex (my friend) has spoken to me yesterday, and we spent 2 hours aligning on the work that has to be done. We are happy with his suggestions. Please speak to him for updates. It seems that you are not updated at all.”
I understand her annoyance. I would have erupted.
In Parting.
We love to think that employees leave without telling us anything about their decision to part ways. That relieves us of all responsibilities. It allows us to point our fingers at them.
However, that is never the case.
They will tell us their concerns. They always do.
The trouble is … do we actually bother to listen?
Learn To Listen, Really Listen!
Aldric
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About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
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As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.
Because simplicity adds value.
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