Apr 14, 2021
Over my 25 plus-year career in human resources, I’ve noticed that while people will endure fewer amenities and less pay, there are four reasons skillful workers will leave for another job.
(1) No opportunity – When employees sense no potential for career progress, or leaders are unaware that advancement is important, employees look elsewhere for better options.
(2) Not knowing the dollar value of their benefits – Pay and benefits is a topic often avoided in many workplaces. Many organizations, however, offer competitive pay and often benefits that cost thousands of dollars, and employees haven’t a clue. (Think PTO, like legal holidays, sick days, and vacation days; life insurance, long-term disability (LTD), and short-term disability (STD) programs; health insurance, including vision and dental; and wellness programs.) The costs of all these programs add up. When organizations take the time to periodically make employees aware of the total cost of all the benefits at their disposal, employees gain a greater appreciation how much value they receive in their job.
(3) Feeling unappreciated – When employees receive little or no gratitude or acknowledgment for their contributions, it feels demoralizing — no wonder they seek more rewarding work elsewhere. The biggest surprise? Many times, during exit interviews, departing employees disclose that a simple, verbal “thank you” would have made all the difference. However, in many organizations, too often managers fail to do even that.
(4) Sheer Boredom – Without savvy leaders or a solid idea of the big picture, employees don’t see concrete, interesting ways to contribute, outside of the ordinary scope of their jobs. Things grow tedious and employees hunt for new challenges to make work feel more meaningful.
So, while you might think your employees only want higher pay and a corner office, or that the trend among employees is to feel “entitled,” the truth is that the best employees are satisfied with simpler, more basic and fundamental management approaches—and a better explanation of the benefits they currently have.
Be thoughtful — find out what motivates your employees! This simple investment will ensure improved worker retention, enhanced overall morale, and increased company loyalty. And isn’t that what you really want?
Action Steps
What can you do as an employer right now to keep your best employees? Consider asking them. That’s right. Simply spending time with employees in focus groups and roundtable discussions can help you to help them by making basic changes to ensure you keep your greatest asset happy and encouraged.
One more thing…What’s the Top Reason People Quit?
This 2017 Inc. magazine article reveals that the primary reason employees quit is:
People leave managers, not companies.
Marcel Schwantes, while researching the topic of turnover, found that 50% of employees left their job “to get away from their manager to improve their overall life at some point in their career.”
Keep in mind that as a new generation of workers comes of age, the issue of turnover will continue to grow. Many employees now look at their lives differently than workers did 20 and 30 years ago. Most value relationships above all else, and when a manager starts stealing their joy, they won’t hesitate to look for work elsewhere.
The workplace ladder is simply not as important to young workers today as in prior generations. Many are talented and capable, but will invariably choose a desirable manager over monetary or organizational rewards.
If you are concerned about retaining talented employees while also saving time and money in hiring and training costs, remember these top 4 reasons and the new trend that makes talented people quit. It could make keeping the great people you need a lot easier than you thought.
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Mark Griffin is founder and President at In His Name HR LLC. He has over 25 years of HR experience. Follow Mark on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR, Human Resources
Jun 19, 2018
During the past several years many organizations enjoyed what felt like a relatively low turnover rate. Many leaders thought that the reason turnover had decreased was because of the downturn in the economy. That’s not entirely accurate. Long term employees were holding on, but new hires still turned over at an astonishing rate. As the 2014 Equifax research shows, on average, more than half of all employees who left their job in the past year did so within the first twelve months.
Concerned? You should be. The average cost to recruit a single new employee is well over $4,000 and will take on average 42 days to fill the vacancy (SHRM study 2016). This figure does not reflect the time spent or the decrease in morale as the search drags on. Since the rate of turnover is potentially the highest during the first year, let’s take a closer look at one way we can stop the hemorrhage.
There is a misperception shared by many of today’s leaders that orientation and on-boarding are essentially one and the same. They are not. Simply stated, orientation comprises the tactical tasks to complete in order to get an employee ready to get to work, for example, computer login registration, physical building access, facility tours, and a basic HR overview of policies such as benefits and the employee handbook.
So, how is on-boarding different? On-boarding is assimilating your new employee to the culture of your organization. It is about introducing your new employee to your organization’s values, its norms, providing a recipe that lists the ingredients of what makes up your organization’s culture, and how they can blend effectively with them to create a desirable end product, leading to the greater success of your organization as a whole. An effective program helps the new employee align themselves to your Mission, Vision and Values. This is a very important step to organizational success.
Want to create an effective on-boarding program? Consider these 4 steps.
Step #1: Use a Focus Group
Create a focus group that consists of the most recent six people you hired. These are the individuals who best know what does and doesn’t work— they’ve just lived through it! Task the focus group facilitator with developing a list of items that should be included in the on-boarding program. And, once your HR leader develops the final program, schedule the focus group to meet again to ensure the legitimacy of the program.
Step #2: Build Employee Development into the Process
Ensure job description review, refinement, and updating are all a part of your process. Have every new employee consult with co-workers and corresponding leaders to update their job description so that they have full ownership. Have them present to their leader the key areas of development for promote-ability based on future career assignments. Get them thinking about their own development now, not after they tire of their position.
Step #3: Build in Key Meetings with Various Stakeholders
Arrange for new employees to meet with a different manager in separate departments several times over the course of some months. Earlier in my career, we built a process at the Quaker Oats Company where all new employees or transferees would go to lunch with different department managers and several members of their department. It is a fantastic way for new employees to feel part of the Mission of the organization.
Step #4: Ensure New Employees Own the Process
Create a checklist for employees to follow and update going forward. Have them meet with their manager twice a month to discuss how the process is working. Ensure participation is built into their 90-day review. Holding them accountable will ensure they take an active role in the process.
One thing is for sure—most organizations have veered away from progressive HR programs in the last several years, losing time and money, as well as valuable employees.
Isn’t it time you started focusing on the fundamentals and take the time to bring your people on board correctly? After all, people are your most valuable resource. It’s one of the best investments you can make in the long-term success of your organization.
What on-boarding programs have you had success with?
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources programs. Visit them at In HIS Name HR or e-mail them.
Mark A. Griffin is the founder and chief consultant of In His Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Christian Higher Ed HR
Jun 6, 2018
Why are people leaving your organization?
My client’s eyes glazed over when I asked her this. She didn’t know why more than 13 percent of her workforce left every year – and hadn’t even thought about figuring out the reasons.
In my experience, most organizations fail to document why people leave.
If they do conduct exit interviews, they often don’t probe deeply enough. Or, they fail to effectively learn from their findings and implement change for the better.
How to Keep People
According to The Wall Street Journal, by the time a talented worker has decided to leave, it’s probably too late to make the necessary improvements to keep them. But, finding out why people aren’t staying with your organization is critical to your future success, especially in tough economic times.
Keeping competent employees is one of the best ways to save your organization a lot of money and keep a cohesive and healthy workplace culture. The high cost of hiring and training employees warrants that you learn from what isn’t working, every time.
There are several reasons why people leave. In previous articles we have discussed many. One area that continues to gain attention is organizational vision or lack thereof. Make sure your vision is properly integrated within your HR programs. Employees need to be part of it and understand where you are going. A recent article from Barnard Marr on CNBC.com cites “No Vision” as being a leading cause of turnover. I agree. Most employees want a hope and a future and a great vision that is bought in by all helps create energy in the workplace.
So, appreciate the rich source of information that a good exit interview brings!
A good exit interview finds out these three (3) things:
- What the work climate is really like?
- Whether and how are your managers are failing.
- What’s missing?
Do your employees get what they really need to do well? If people are leaving too frequently, it’s time to find out why.
Make sure your exit interview includes these three (3) questions:
- When did you realize you wanted to leave?
- Did you and your manager set goals and objectives together?
- How often did you receive helpful feedback from your leadership?
Ending Well
First, conduct your exit interview with a spirit of grace and graciousness. Your concern and honest inquiry into the reasons your employee is leaving will yield valuable insights if you put them at ease. This is where your core values come in.
Second, remember to set up an exit interview at a time designed to give you the best information. Don’t rush in at the last minute, just before your employee’s departure, or try to get information after they’ve already moved on.
Finally, wish the employee well in their new endeavor. At some point, they may want to come back. If they feel cared for during this last important experience, they will know that the door is still open. Losing a talented employee is disappointing, but it might be redeemed if they happily return in the future.
Have you used exit interviewing before? Please take a few moments and tell our community of readers your experience.
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In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources programs. Visit them at In HIS Name HR or e-mail them here.
Mark A. Griffin is the founder and chief consultant of In His Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR
May 9, 2018
The economy has been changing rapidly over the past several months. Now more than ever employees are starting to look at their career options. Turnover issues transcend all profit and non profit organizations.
In my 25-plus-year career in human resources, I’ve noticed that, while people will endure fewer amenities and less pay, there are three reasons skillful workers will leave to another job:
(1) No progress
When employees sense no potential for career progress, or leaders are unaware that advancement is important, they look for better options.
(2) Feeling unappreciated
When employees receive little or no gratitude for their contributions, it’s demoralizing — they seek more rewarding work elsewhere. The biggest surprise? Many times, during exit interviews, departing employees disclose that a simple, verbal “thank you” would have made them feel sufficiently appreciated.
(3) Sheer Boredom
Without savvy leaders or a solid idea of the big picture (Vision), employees don’t see concrete, interesting ways to contribute outside of the ordinary scope of their jobs. Things grow tedious and employees hunt for new challenges to make work feel more meaningful.
So, while you might think your employees desire high pay, a corner office, or a cushy benefits package, the truth is that the best employees are satisfied with simpler, more personal benefits.
Be thoughtful — find out what motivates your employees! This simple investment will ensure improved worker retention, enhanced overall morale, and increased organizational loyalty. And isn’t that what you really want?
Action Steps
What can you do as an employer right now to keep your best employees? This article provides some great ideas.
One more thing…what’s the Surprising New Reason People Quit?
Forbes magazine reveals a new reason spiking among employees who quit:
The Final Reason (4) – Not enough flexibility for work-life balance
Not long ago this reason primarily concerned mothers, but now both men and women will leave pay increases and promotions behind to have a manageable work schedule that doesn’t crowd out the rest of life.
Keep in mind that, as a new generation of workers comes of age and/or starts having children, many will value fulfilling connections with family and friends above a full workload. Climbing the workplace ladder is simply not as important to young workers today as in prior generations. Many are talented and capable, but will choose a desirable work-life balance over monetary or organizational rewards.
So, if you are concerned with retaining talented employees while also saving time and money in hiring and training costs, remember these Top 4 Reasons and the new trend that makes talented people quit. It could make keeping great people you need much easier.
______
In His Name HR helps organizations build high performance Human Resources programs. Visit them at In HIS Name HR or e-mail them here.
Mark A. Griffin is the founder and chief consultant of In His Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Mark A. Griffin | Blog, Christian Higher Ed HR
